


The Shifting Series

by PattRose



Series: The Shifting Series [1]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Angst, Confusion, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M, Sentinel Thursday Challenge, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-13
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-01-19 05:06:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 68,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1456570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim comes home from work with a plan for changing their lives and Blair is trying to figure it out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Shift

An Unexpected Shift  
By PattRose

 

Warnings: None  
Genre: Slash  
Word Count: 1100  
Challenge: #499 Bar (Sentinel Thursday)  
Summary: Jim comes home from work with a life change and Blair is trying to figure it out. 

 

Blair was at the loft, sitting at the table, grading papers. He figured he would get some of his work done while waiting for Jim to get home. He wondered suddenly where Jim was. He hadn’t called or anything. Usually, his lover was quite good at letting him know if he was going to be late or not. Blair shook his head and tried to get rid of the thoughts that came to mind. What if Jim was tired of him already? It had happened many times before, with other people, so this wouldn’t surprise Blair at all. He looked up at the clock and realized it was almost eight o’clock. Blair picked up his cell and called the station to talk to Jim. A nervous Blair, needed reassurance. He dialed the number and had a night time detective answer. 

“Detective Stone, may I help you?”

“Hey, Stone, it’s Blair Sandburg. Have you seen Jim Ellison tonight?” Blair asked. 

Stone didn’t miss a beat as he said, “He took the day off, Sandburg. You would think you would know that much about your roommate.”

“Thanks, man. Talk to you later.” Blair closed the line and wondered what was going on. Why did Jim leave that morning as if he was going to work and not go? Blair put all of his paperwork away and cleared the table. He was going to start something for dinner and then hope that Jim wouldn’t lie to him. Blair took his laptop, the papers and his backpack and set it on the bar. He didn’t know what he was going to do with the news that Jim would no doubt tell him that evening. 

Blair started making dinner and just finished some beef stew when the door opened and Jim walked in. Blair noticed his lover looked tired, as if he had been working all day. Maybe Stone was wrong. Blair walked over to meet Jim as he turned around from hanging his jacket up. Blair put his arms around Jim and hugged him tight. But he found himself staying in the same place just holding on for dear life. 

“Not that I’m complaining, Chief, but what’s this about?”

Blair back away from Jim and smiled one of his trademark smiles and said, “Nothing is wrong. I just missed you.”

“That’s nice to hear. Thank you. I missed you, too. It’s been a really long day and I have something to talk to you about. Could we eat first, Chief?”

“I made beef stew,” Blair said. 

“I know, Chief. Remember, I’m a Sentinel. I smelled it down in the parking lot. I knew it was coming from here. Or at least I hoped.”

“Go wash up and I’ll put dinner on the table.”

Jim did as instructed and then sat down at the table and smiled a loving smile. Blair was confused. Blair dished up Jim’s food and handed the plate to him. 

“Chief, why are you nervous? Your heartbeat is scaring me a little. Did something happen today?”

“Jim, don’t worry about me. Tell me what you have to tell me. There is no time like the present.”

Jim started moving his food around on his plate, stalling for time. But when he looked up he saw fear in Blair’s eyes. Jim realized he needed to talk to Blair now. “I gave my month notice yesterday. I asked Simon not to tell anyone about it. I know you’re disappointed with me for not taking care of my city, but Blair I’m getting too old for chasing bad guys. Forty-two is just too damn old to keep up with the younger suspects. I also almost got killed yesterday and I thought about how you would feel to be left behind. I didn’t like the thought at all. So, today I went looking at houses for you and me.”

“Let me get this right. You’re quitting your job, you almost got killed yesterday and you looked at houses today and you’re telling me, now?” Blair was very angry and he wasn’t hiding it a bit. 

Jim had the decency to blush. “Chief, I honestly didn’t want to upset you last night, but from the way you’re acting tonight, you already knew something was up. I feel like a change is needed in our life. I know it’s unexpected, but I’m hoping that you won’t be too disappointed with me.”

Blair just stared at his lover and didn’t know what to say. He remained quiet for about five minutes while Jim just stared at him and then he said, “What did you plan on doing for the rest of your life. You can’t retire at forty-two, right?”

“I was out looking at Bar’s in the downtown area. I thought I might like to open a bar in the stations neighborhood. That way I could still see everyone from work, but not have to chase after bad guys. And then I looked at some small houses. I really want things to be different for us. I want to show you how committed I am to you. I want to buy a house with you. I’ve never wanted to buy anything with anyone before. Tell me what you think of this idea.”

Blair had a confused look on his face, because he **was** more confused then he had ever been. “Jim, don’t you think it’s odd that you just up and decided this without talking to me about it? You never considered me in this equation at all. While you run a bar at night, I’m supposed to just sit around our new house and keep myself company?”

Jim got up from the table and started to pace. He was suddenly even more tired then he had been before. “Never mind, I’ll tell Simon I’ll stay. Forget everything I said.”

Blair walked up to him, stopped Jim from pacing and asked, “Now if you got this bar, you wouldn’t mind me helping you at night, would you? And it would be a bar that had a taxi service for people that had too much of a good time? And we would stay in the loft?”

Jim hugged Blair close to his chest and said, “I would do anything for you, Blair. That includes staying in the loft, if you so please. I would be thrilled if you helped me run it. I found a place downtown and it doesn’t need too much work. You’re off tomorrow, would you like to go and see it?”

Blair pulled Jim down for a sweet, yet passionate kiss. They kissed for awhile, until Jim pushed him away. “So does this mean, I’m forgiven?”

Blair smiled and said, “Sometimes, unexpected shifts in life are the best thing in the world. I’m by your side for everything, Jim.”

“Thank you, Blair.”

“I love you, Jim.”

“And I love you.”

The end


	2. Shifting Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair are getting things ready to open the bar.

Shifting Forward  
By PattRose

 

Sequel to An Unexpected Shift

Summary: Jim and Blair are getting things ready to open the bar.   
Sentinel Thursday Challenge # 499-Bar  
Warnings: None  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Word Count: 1120

 

It had been a month since Jim gave his notice at work. He was so glad to have that behind him. Now it was time to move on to the next phase in their lives. 

Jim was painting the walls of his new bar with Blair out shopping for tables and chairs. At the time, it seemed like there wasn’t much to do in the bar, but looking closer, once Jim bought it he realized, he had to have decent tables and chairs. Jim had already had the floor redone and it looked like a new place. The biggest change was the bar itself. It was completely redone in a beautiful finish of walnut. They picked out new glasses to sit on the bar with all new sinks and everything else behind the bar. It was starting to look like a place anyone would love to go to. The best part was that it was only three blocks from the station, so Jim would announce it to everyone once they were done. The new windows they had installed looked terrific, letting in a lot of light and would also let in nice moonlight in the evening. Jim looked up and saw how great the new ceiling fans looked and was most pleased with the progress. He also had a kick-ass ventilation system put in for the cigar and cigarette smokers. 

Blair came bouncing into the bar, smiling like crazy. “Guess what I ordered today?”

“Tables and chairs?” 

“Well, yeah, I ordered them, but I ordered a new Neon blinking sign to hang on the front of the building. I also named it for you when I was there. I hope you don’t mind?”

“It depends, what did you call it?” Jim asked, almost afraid to hear what Blair had named it. 

“Jim’s Place. What do you think of that?”

“I like it. Nice and easy to remember. But we should have looked to see if there were any bars with that name already,” Jim said. 

Blair shook his head from side to side and smiled. “Do you think you’re hooked up with a dummy? I already checked and no Jim’s Place in town. There is now.”

Jim walked up to Blair and kissed him softly and said, “I can’t hug you, I have paint on me.”

“As long as it’s not on this new, gorgeous floor.” Blair walked in and looked around and was never so proud of anyone in his life. Jim had taken an old beat-up building and made it into a great place. It looked brand new. They were taking their time so that everything was done perfectly. “Hey, I almost forgot, what about the apartment above this establishment. What are we doing with that?”

Jim smiled and answered, “We’re going to fix it up and we’re living there. It’s closer to the University and my job.”

Blair burst out laughing. “You crack me up, man. When were you going to tell me this? And who is doing all the work on that?”

“Neither of us has to do a thing because it’s being remodeled as we speak. You’re going to have an office and everything. The living room is a nice size, so that’ll be great for having our friends over. And the dining room is a little small, but I figured when we play poker on the days I close the bar, we’ll just come down here and play. What do you think?”

“So, you’re going to sell the loft?”

“Only if you’re okay with that. If you want to stay in the loft, we can rent the apartment out for extra money each month. It’s up to you, babe.”

“Where would we park?” Blair wondered. 

“There’s the two car garage in the alley with the outside entrance to our apartment, right by it,” Jim replied. 

“You know what, Jim? I do like the idea of being closer to my job. Let’s do it. We’ll sell the loft and make this our new home.”

Jim hugged his lover and whispered, “I adore you.”

“I love you, too, man.”

“Did you get the tables and chairs? You never said what you got.”

Blair smiled. He knew Jim was going to be thrilled. “I got the wood on the table and chairs to match the bar itself. It’s going to look great. We don’t have too much more to paint and once we’re done all I have to do is call them. They’ll deliver that day.”

“The best thing I ever did in my life was decide to fall in love with you. You’re such a great partner for the bar, but I have one little thing to tell you.”

“What? Is something wrong?” Blair had that concerned look on his face that Jim went crazy over. 

Jim tousled his hair and said, “Nothing is wrong, but I signed you and me up for a bartending class for three weeks.”

“We’re going to Bartending School? Cool. I’ll learn how to make cool drinks. That was good thinking, Jim. I’ll help you with the homework.”

Both men laughed. 

“I scheduled it for next week. So, for three weeks, we’re going to be busy at night. We can’t open the bar yet anyhow, because we still have to get a Taxi service to be on call, still have to buy the liqueur, and get things more homey in here. I’d like a pool table and a dart board set up. What do you think of that idea?”

“I thought a juke box and a dance floor would be better then a pool table. We can’t have them all,” Blair reminded him. 

“I think the guys from the station would want a pool table and darts more than dancing. But we could still have a juke box.”

Blair smiled. “Deal… It sounds perfect to me.”

“Just think, Blair, in about five weeks, we’ll be all set to open. Oh, I got the liqueur license today. We have to get a frame for it to go above the mirror behind the bar. And we’re getting video cameras installed, so we always have footage of everyone coming and going from here.”

Blair was practically in bounce mode as he said, “Let’s finish the painting and we’ll head home for the night. We do have the alarm system functioning, right?”

“Yes, it’s working. Good idea, we’ll finish painting and go home and relax. The next five weeks are going to be crazy.”

“At least we’ll be crazy together, Jim.”

TBC?


	3. Shifting Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How are Jim and Blair doing with owning and running the bar? Will Blair find time for him and Jim with all of the excitement going on?

Shifting Along  
By PattRose

Sequel to An Unexpected Shift and Shifting Forward. 

Summary: How are Jim and Blair doing with owning and running the bar? Will Blair find time for him and Jim with all of the excitement going on?  
Warnings: None  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Word Count: 1862

 

Three months after Jim and Blair opened the bar, Blair walked into their apartment to see if Jim was still sleeping. After all, it was only seven in the morning. Jim had worked until two that morning, so Blair knew he was going to be a bear. Blair had slipped out and got Jim a hot coffee and a cheese Danish. Jim would love that. In fact, he might get up without Blair even trying to wake him. Blair took the cheese Danish and put it in the microwave to heat up and set the coffee on the table. Before long, Jim came walking out of the bedroom with sleepy eyes, bed head and all. 

Blair smiled at him and asked, “The cheese Danish woke you, didn’t it?”

Jim leaned down and gave Blair a kiss. “Yes, I smelled that and knew it was your feeble attempt at waking me up for something. Why are you waking me up? I don’t have to open the bar until four tonight. I was having some really good dreams about you and me.”

Blair hugged him, pulled him down for another kiss and said, “Simon called and wants to talk to us this morning. He’s coming at nine. I figured you would want to be up and ready before it was time. He said it was important.”

“I hope it’s nothing with Daryl. Did he sound all right?” Jim walked over and got the Danish out of the micro and put it on the table. He couldn’t wait to taste it. Blair didn’t usually let him have things like this, so it was a nice change of pace. 

“He sounded fine, man. Stop worrying. Maybe he needs an opinion on something from work. You’ll find out soon enough. Drink your coffee and then jump in the shower.”

“Would you like to jump in with me?” 

“Jim, I’m already dressed and ready to see Simon. It’s your turn. I expect he’ll be here earlier than nine.”

“Well, shit. I better get my ass in gear.” Jim grabbed his clothing for the day and walked into the nice bathroom. The company that remodeled their new home did a fantastic job. The bathroom was huge. Actually, the entire apartment was big. Blair had decorated it with just enough flair to make everyone say ‘oh, that’s nice’.

Jim jumped into the shower and got ready and wondered if it would be like cheating if he took care of his hard on since Blair didn’t want to shower with him. At that moment, Blair opened up the door and said, “Don’t even think about taking care of that bad boy alone. We’ll take care of it after Simon leaves.”

Jim leaned his head against the wall and sighed. _How does he know when I’m thinking about whacking off._

Blair smiled all the way out into the living room and sat down. He had put a pot of coffee on for when Simon got there. Blair knew Simon loved good coffee, so Blair got some at the store and was brewing it. 

Jim came out of the bathroom fully dressed and didn’t look that happy. “The coffee smells really good, Blair.”

“You’re still not getting any sex until after Simon leaves.”

“How do you know this shit? You always seem to know what I’m thinking.”

Blair smiled, walked over and pulled Jim into his arms. They began to kiss and Jim wanted more than that. “No…”

“You’re such a cock tease, it’s just not right,” Jim warned. 

“Did you clean the bathroom up before Simon comes?” 

“Blair, when have I ever not cleaned up the bathroom when I was done?” Jim cocked his head and waited for Blair’s reply. 

“Oh yeah, that’s me that doesn’t pick up. Sorry, Jim.”

“The bookkeeper said that things are going very well. He was impressed with our inventory and our sales. Hiring just one bartender has helped a great deal for us, but not having to pay as much out, is nice, too.”

“I’m glad that we’re doing so well. We seem busy every single night. That’s cool. At least the guys from the station don’t seem to mind that we’re an item. At the station we couldn’t say anything, but here we do. They seem to have accepted us, don’t you agree?” Blair asked. 

“Yes, I think they have accepted us. I find that odd sometimes, but nice at other times. Do you mind having our days off on Monday and Tuesday?”

“No, it works out great. That way we have all weekend to work and play. It’s going a lot better then I thought it would in the beginning, Jim.”

“You never got a chance to tell me how the test went yesterday. When you came in, you went right to work and we didn’t have a chance to talk.”

“Jim, you’re not going to believe this, but no one scored less then an 80% on their tests. I was thrilled. It’s nice when you find out that someone is actually listening to your lectures. It took all day long to grade the papers, but it was worth it.”

Jim looked at his watch and saw it was 8:00 and at that moment, he smelled Simon’s cigar butt. Jim got up and opened the door and Simon almost fell in as he went to knock. 

“Geeze, I hated when you did that at the loft and I still hate it here. I have something to talk over with you two.”

Blair went over and gave Simon a quick hug and said, “Come on in, the rude man you were talking to, has no manners.”

Simon walked into the living room and sat down and waited for Jim and Blair to do the same. Once everyone was seated, Simon said, “The commissioner wants to know if we can hire you on as consultants for the police department. Not just for Major Crimes, but everything at the station. You wouldn’t have to do field work, just paperwork, reading and writing. What do you think?”

“Simon, I’m really happy right now and busier then I ever expected to be. So, I think I would have to turn you down but I can’t speak for Blair.”

Blair looked at Simon and then Jim and seemed to have something on his mind. 

“Sandburg, just ask me the question that you’re wondering about,” Simon suggested. 

“Maybe I’d like to hear more about it. What does it entail and what does it pay?”

Jim was quite surprised that Blair was even asking and felt a little left out when he realized that Blair might want to do it without him along for the ride.

Simon leaned in towards Blair and smiled. “I’ll tell you what it would be. Cases that aren’t solved within a month would be your cases. You would look over the reports and files and see what you could find. Like I said, no field work, just hoping that someone could point us in the right direction. As an example, I brought a file and this one is two months old. We have no suspects, no leads, no witnesses and nowhere to go. I figured I could have you take a look at it and see what you think.” 

“Jim, why aren’t you thinking about this?” Blair wondered. 

“I wanted out of that line of work and I wasn’t kidding. Simon, I appreciate your problems with finding clues and suspects, but I don’t want to be part of it anymore.”

Blair looked at Jim and tried to figure out what he was hiding, but sensed nothing at the moment. “Simon, I would like you to leave the file behind and we’ll look at it and discuss this a little more. Then, I’ll let you know one way or another later today. How does that sound?”

“Here’s the problem, Blair. The commissioner doesn’t want just you or just Jim. He wants you as a team. He seems to think you work best when together. So, it’s both of you or neither of you.” Simon stood up to leave. 

Jim hadn’t said anything because at that moment, he was pissed off at Blair. 

Blair got off the sofa and walked Simon to the door. Simon leaned in to him and said, “I don’t want this coming between the two of you.”

“I won’t let it, Simon. Don’t worry, we’ll talk and I’ll call you later today.”

Blair opened the door and then shut and locked it after Simon left. He went back to the sofa where Jim was sitting looking downright pissed off and sat next to him. 

“I thought we could at least look at the file and see what we think about the case. You know that you and I are good at this, Jim.”

“Blair, it’s not the same when you just read the file. You would have to question the suspects, the witnesses and everything else. I don’t want to do this shit again. I thought you understood.”

“I do understand but I thought we could glance at the file. The commissioner thinks enough of us to want us for this. We didn’t even hear how much it paid.”

“Chief, I don’t care what it pays.”

“Okay, I’ll call Simon and tell him we’re not interested later today.”

“Thank you. I just want to do what we do and stick with that, Blair.”

“Did someone want to get lucky?” Blair asked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. 

“Not right now. I need to do some things in the bar. I’ll be down there if you want me for anything,” Jim said as he got off the sofa and headed to the door. 

“Jim, please don’t leave. If you’re angry with me, then talk to me. But don’t leave.”

Jim thought a moment and then said, “I didn’t like how you ignored the fact that I don’t want to have anything to do with the police department again. You knew how I felt and yet you still took the file from Simon.”

“I was wrong. Go ahead and go downstairs and think. I know you’re pissed off and this way you’ll work it off and maybe be happier when I see you later tonight,” Blair suggested. 

Jim walked over and pulled Blair into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m an asshole. I don’t want to share you with the department any longer. We had almost six years of that and now you’re a professor at the university. Do we really want to go backwards?”

“You’re right. I love you, Jim.”

“I love you, too. Would you like to come down and help me restock the bar?”

“Oh, that sounds romantic,” Blair said, but what he was thinking was, ‘We’re not done with this yet, Jim’. 

They walked hand in hand down the stairs and into the bar. Jim was once again smiling, but Blair knew there was something else bothering him. 

TBC


	4. Down Shifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blair is still trying to get to the heart of Jim’s decision about becoming consultants. Blair thinks they should still think about it, but Jim says no way.

Down Shifting  
By PattRose

Summary: Blair is still trying to get to the heart of Jim’s decision about becoming consultants. Blair thinks they should still think about it, but Jim says no way.   
Warnings: Angst  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Word Count: 1373  
Notes: I was having trouble with this and Helena helped me come up with the idea. Hopefully, I did her idea justice. She’s the best. 

Blair was sitting in his office and decided he wanted to have lunch with Megan Connor. He needed a second opinion and needed it soon. He couldn’t bring the subject of consultant work up to Jim again, so he had to talk to someone. Blair really liked Megan and decided to give her a call. 

“Megan Connor, may I help you?”

“Hi, Megan. It’s me. I wondered if you wanted to come over to the University and have lunch with me. There is a nice sandwich shop across the road. Do you have time?”

“Sandy, it’s so good to hear from you. I would love to have lunch with you. I’ll meet you at Stand and Snack in twenty minutes.” She didn’t even wait for Blair’s reply. She hung up her phone and went and told Simon she was going to lunch.

*

Twenty minutes later, Blair was sitting outside the shop at a table on the sidewalk. The place was really nice. The man that ran it made the sandwiches fresh. It was a really small place, but they had excellent food. The owner, Tom, was a truly nice man and Blair ate there a lot. 

Megan walked up to the table and said, “Are we ready to order? I’m starving.”

“Good, I’d hate to have you come here for lunch if you weren’t hungry,” Blair teased. 

They both went inside and ordered their sandwiches. Tom and Paul made them up quickly and effortlessly. You could tell they had been doing it for years. Blair and Megan walked outside to the table again, carrying their fresh sandwiches and a small tossed salad. 

They both sat down and began to eat their lunch. Megan finally broke the silence. “Simon mentioned that you and Jim are fighting about the consulting job. Is this true?”

Blair just stared at her. How did she know that’s what he wanted to talk about? “Yes, that’s true. No, it’s not. We’re not exactly fighting, but we’re not getting along beautifully, either. I don’t know what Jim’s problem is. He won’t even consider it. It would be something we could still do to help the city, you know?”

“Sandy, this isn’t any of my business, but I agree with Jimbo. He wanted out, not in. If he took that consulting job, before long they would ask for more and more favors and Jim would be back in the line of fire again. And we all know that Jim’s had his share of being in the line of fire. He was very concerned about losing his life or leaving you behind. It scared him that much. When you get to that point, you have to leave and never look back. He wanted to continue to have friendships with all of us, so he got a bar in our neck of the woods. This is Jim’s way of staying in touch. He doesn’t have to be a consultant at all. He’s helped a lot of people in the community, have you forgotten about that? How many people has he helped since you two opened the bar? I don’t think I’m exaggerating to say he’s helped at least twenty different people or couples. He’s gotten businesses up and running again by helping with the painting and fixing up. He’s done a lot. The neighborhood the bar is in has changed completely. I can’t believe you’re even questioning his motives.”

“So, you think he mostly wanted to get a job that was less stressful for the two of us? You don’t think it’s anything else?” Blair asked. 

“Sandy, talk to Jim. He’s the one with the answers, but I bet he says the same things that I just rattled off. I think Simon was a little bit of a jerk in offering it to him. He knew that Jim wanted out. He should have been allowed to stay that way. But, Simon had to make problems. And now you and Jimbo are having troubles. It’s too bad.”

“I promise, I’ll talk to him tonight after we close the bar. Thank you for being such a good friend to both of us, Megan. We really need to have a poker night one of these nights off. We’re only off on Monday’s and Tuesday’s; do you think anyone would come on weekdays for poker?”

“A poker night would be fantastic. Jim would be with his friends in the surrounding he wishes to be in. Open up the conversation with that, Sandy and go from there.”

They both finished their sandwiches and had some small talk, but Megan knew that Sandy had a lot on his mind and needed to talk to Jim. When she left, she was happy in knowing that she might have helped with the problem at hand.

*

After closing that night, Jim and Blair walked up the stairs to their apartment and Jim locked up. 

“Jim, could I talk to you?”

“You can certainly talk to me, Blair. I’m here for you, always.”

“Jim, are you still mad at me?”

Jim sat down on the sofa and thought a moment and finally said, “You know, I might be. I was really disappointed in you taking Simon’s side. He knew how I felt about the entire thing, but he ignored what I said or thought. And so did you. I told you when I bought this bar that I needed to get out of that line of work. I was finding myself getting nervous. Nervous cops don’t make for good cops, Blair. I just wanted to find something less stressful and something you and I could enjoy. And I believe that I’ve done exactly that with this bar. But, you must still be longing for some of the old days. I’m sorry Blair, but I can’t do it anymore. I can’t give that to you.”

Blair went over and sat close to Jim on the sofa and hugged him. “I had lunch today with Megan. She reminded me of all the good you’ve done in the last three months and I was ashamed. Here I was thinking we could still be in the department’s business when all you ever wanted was to be out. I’m sorry for not listening to you, for not being here for you when Simon came calling and I’m sorry for not loving you enough to understand what was going on with you.”

Jim pulled Blair into his arms and didn’t say a word. He just held him and Blair let him. When Blair heard Jim clear his throat, he figured Jim was going to be all right. 

“Megan is a good friend, Blair. I would like to have them all over to play poker this Tuesday. Do you think anyone would come on a weeknight?”

Blair smiled. “I asked Megan the very same thing. She said they would all come. They miss you and don’t get to see you too much when they stop in for a beer, because you are always busy.”

“I have to start making some time for our friends and family. Why don’t you invite your mom for a visit? I’ll ask my dad over for dinner on one of the nights that she’s in town. How does that sound?”

“That’s a whole different subject and I’m not ready for Naomi right now. We have to get ourselves settled first. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Jim.”

“You are ‘like’ so forgiven. How would you like to hold me in bed tonight, because I’ve missed you and I don’t want sex, I just want your arms around me.”

“You got it, Jim. Let’s get to bed. I love you, you big lug.”

“I love you, back. Everything will work out fine, Blair. Get that worried look off your face. We’re going to be just dandy.”

TBC


	5. Shifting Back to Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair get back into the swing of things by inviting everyone over for poker.

Shifting Back to Good  
Part 5 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Jim and Blair get back into the swing of things by inviting everyone over for poker.   
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Warnings: None  
Word Count: 2044

 

Jim called everyone from the bullpen on Sunday and invited them to a poker game at the bar on Monday night. Jim’s Place was closed on Monday, so they would have the entire establishment to themselves. Jim had even invited Dan Wolfe. They hadn’t seen him in months and missed his warped sense of humor. 

Blair walked into the apartment after classes on Monday night, bouncing as he walked. Jim was thrilled to see his lover so happy about spending time with their friends. Blair walked over to Jim and pulled him down for an after class kiss and seemed to want much more. 

Jim pulled away from him and said, “Hey, we have things to do for the poker game. I made all the food and the drinks are all downstairs, so we’re set. Want to help me carry the food down?”

“Of course, I’ll help you carry the food down, but what time are they coming? It’s only 6:30.”

“Blair, they’re coming at 7:00, so let’s get the lead out. We need to be down there to open up the door.” Jim grabbed two platters of food and pointed in the direction of two crock pots. “You take one of the crock pots and I’ll come up for the other one.”

“I don’t even get to eat? I’m hungry, Jim.”

“Eat downstairs, there is plenty of food. I made your taco soup and homemade salsa. I know you love that, Blair.”

“I do love that, when are we having it? Like I said, I’m starving.”

“Come on let’s get this stuff downstairs, so we can eat when they get here.”

The two men made three trips all together because there were things in the refrigerator to be brought down, too. 

As soon as they plugged everything in, they got tables set up for eating and the table set up for poker. Having a bar had its good side sometimes. They no sooner finished everything and there was a knock at the door. Jim could see that it was Simon through the frosted glass. Sentinel senses were way cool, sometimes. Jim opened the door and there stood, Simon, Rafe, Brown, Joel, Connor and Dan. 

“Come on in, we just finished bringing down all the food. Did you all come hungry?” Jim asked. 

Once they all walked by him, Jim shut and locked the door. He made sure the light outside was off so no one got the idea that they were open.

“I’m starving, Jimbo. Lead me to food,” Connor instructed. 

“Follow me, I made Taco Soup. Now everyone pay attention. You take the tortilla chips and crumble them into the bottom of the bowl, then you put a handful of shredded cheese and then you cover that with the Taco Soup. It’s delicious; you’re going to love it.”

I also made a Jell-o salad for something different. It’s strawberry with fresh strawberries in it and there is a can of Rediwhip on the counter, ready to use. There are a ton of snacks for later, but eat dinner first and the fresh tortilla’s are right over here,” Jim said, pointing to the soft, fresh tortilla’s. 

Dan was the first one to speak. “This is delicious, Jim. Did you make this from scratch?”

“I sure did. We love this recipe and use it often. It’s actually quite good for you with all of the beans in it. Lots and lots of protein.”

Everyone started filling their bowls, including Jim and Blair and they all sat at the table set up for eating. 

Simon made wonderful noises to let Jim know how much he was enjoying it and it cracked Blair up. 

“Sandy, why didn’t you mention that Jimbo was making this?” 

“Megan, I had no idea he was making this. It was all news to me when I got home. But, it was wonderful news. We love Taco Soup,” Blair replied. 

“Jim, do you mind if I get some of that strawberry Jell-O?” Brown asked. 

“That’s what it’s there for, Henri. Everyone eat up so we can start playing cards.”

They all got up and got some Jell-O and whip cream and sat back down to eat that. 

Jim was chewing his food, but still found time to ask, “Simon, what’s new?”

“Same old shit, Jim. You were the smart one getting out when you did. Ask the guys, Its been a nightmare lately. We have a rapist on the loose and haven’t got anything to go on. So, we get yelled at daily. Okay, I get yelled at daily. I keep hoping that FBI will take it over, but I think they’re hoping we’ll figure something out, first.”

“I think we shouldn’t discuss work. We’re here to relax and enjoy the night. I’m going to do that,” Dan Wolfe said, happily eating. 

“I agree,” Megan said, smiling at Dan for having enough sense to stop the shop-talk.

Once they all finished their dinner, they cleaned up everything and went over to the table next to it and they sat down to start the poker game.

Blair handed out the poker chips for the right amount of money, which Simon tried to cheat him out of every time they played. 

“Hey, Simon, what part of ten one-dollar chips would be ten dollars, do you not get?” Blair asked, laughing. 

Everyone else laughed along with Blair. 

“I don’t know why I do that. I’m cheap, what can I say?” 

Jim stood up and said, “You all play the first hand, I have something to take care of.” He walked away from the table and got foot ready to go somewhere. He had three plates and everyone wondered what he was up to. 

Megan finally asked, “What is he doing?”

“There are three men that wait by the back door every night for a home cooked meal. Jim gives that to them. They don’t drink, they are just homeless. They’re all former military and Jim has a bond with them. He figures the least he can do is feed them dinner once a day,” Blair explained. 

“He should hire them to do something here in the bar,” Simon suggested. 

Blair smiled and said, “They are very anti-social. Jim’s lucky they even talk to him. He’s been doing it for about five months now. Jim’s thinking about buying the building next door to use as a homeless shelter for veteran’s and it’s in the works right now.”

Rafe said, “He’s such a nice guy. I’m glad he’s so happy, Sandburg.”

“He is and thank you for noticing. He really likes doing what he does right now. The neighborhood has improved so much since Jim took over. He helps everyone paint and clean their shops in his spare time. He really is a good man,” Blair admitted. 

Jim came back to the table and saw them talking and asked, “I thought we were playing poker, did someone change their mind?”

They all laughed and Blair started dealing. The game was on. At about nine o’clock the phone rang and Jim answered it. “Jim’s Place.”

“Hi, Jim. It’s Martha, I’m ready to walk to my car.”

“I’ll be right there, Martha.” Jim hung up the phone and said, “Be right back, I have to walk Martha to her car.”

Jim walked out the door and hurried across the street. Simon looked at Blair and asked, “What’s that about?”

“He worries about her leaving the shop by herself at night with her money bag. So, he walks her to the car and watches to be sure she gets off all right.”

Henri was impressed. “It amazes me what good he does for everyone.”

“I told you, he’s a good man,” Blair bragged this time. 

When Jim walked back into the bar, he noticed they were all staring at him. “She got robbed about eight months ago and almost gave up her store. She was just too nervous to walk to her car. I thought it would be something I could do to help her support her family. She’s the breadwinner, so it’s important that she get’s home safe and sound. Now, where did we leave off?”

Blair dealt the cards again and noticed that all of their friends looked at Jim a little differently these days. No one knew how good natured he was until this happened. Now, they understood what Jim was all about.

They laughed and talked until about midnight. The cut off for drinks was at ten, so by midnight everyone was pretty safe to drive. Jim decided to take no chances though and asked, “Would anyone like a ride home?”

“Jimbo, I’ve had a terrific time tonight and I didn’t drink too much. I’m able to drive Henri and Rafe home. They didn’t follow my orders. They drank too much. We’ll leave their cars in your parking lot until tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you two lugs up at 8:00 sharp. Then I’ll drop you here to pick up your cars.”

“Thanks, Connor,” Henri said, smiling a little sheepishly. 

“Yeah, thanks,” Rafe said. 

Dan smiled and said, “I don’t drink, so it was very nice being able to have juice or soda at my leisure. This is a great set-up, Jim and Blair. You’ve made it very comfortable and I for one am looking forward to coming again.”

“Good, we would like to set up weekly games on Monday nights. Except that I think someone should be in charge of food from time to time. What do you all think about that?” Blair asked. 

“I’ll bring the main course, next week. Something special. Anyone allergic to seafood?” Connor asked. 

No one answered and she said, “Seafood it is. See you next Monday at 7:00 as always.”

Joel asked, “Can I bring something?” 

“No, maybe the week after that could be your week for food. We’ll make up a calendar and get that to all of you. That way we’ll always know who is cooking for the night,” Blair said. 

Everyone helped clean up and before long it was one in the morning. Jim couldn’t believe they all stayed that long. It was nice though. Jim and Blair walked everyone to the parking lot right next to the bar and said their goodbyes. 

Jim and Blair walked into the bar and shut and locked the door. Jim pulled Blair into his arms and said, “I’ve been dying to do this all night long.”

“You can do it whenever you want. We’re with friends, Jim. Love me any way you want, within reason.”

“Let’s carry the leftover’s upstairs and get them put away.”

“Jim, why don’t you see if the three guys would like a little more to eat for tonight. We could fix them one more plate. Then we wouldn’t have any leftovers to store.”

“Good idea, Blair. You’re always so thoughtful. I’ll go and see.”

Blair never went out there because they wouldn’t talk if he did. They only talked to Jim. 

Jim walked back in and said, “They would love more. They would never ask for more, but maybe we don’t give them enough, do you think?”

“Let’s fix up the plates and get them out there. Then we get to go to bed,” Blair said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. 

“I’m exhausted, Chief.”

“I’ll take care of you for a change, how does that sound?” Blair wondered. 

“Sounds good to me, Blair.”

Jim took the plates back out to the vets and then locked up for the night. In two trips they had everything upstairs. By the time the finished cleaning up the kitchen and putting everything in the dishwasher, Blair was exhausted too. “You know what, Jim? We’ll wake up and take care of each other. Tonight we just hold on to one another. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like a very good plan, Blair.”

They walked hand in hand into the bedroom and got ready for bed. They were both exhausted, but happy with the turnout at the bar. 

They had a good life. Both men were pleased as hell. 

TBC


	6. Shifting Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Business is going really well and the boys want to celebrate, but will Naomi get in the way?

Shifting Ahead  
Part 6 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Business is going really well and the boys want to celebrate, but will Naomi get in the way?   
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Warnings: None  
Word Count: 2389

 

When Jim got up he could smell the coffee and wondered why Blair was home. _Oh yeah, he’s on break._ This made Jim smile to start the day off. He loved having Blair around. Blair was good for Jim’s soul. Jim realized he was going to have to admit that to Blair some day, so Blair knew how important he was to Jim. 

Jim walked out and found Blair reading the newspaper and Blair looked up when he heard the Jim’s footsteps. This brought a huge smile to Blair’s face, making Jim feel even better. 

“Hey, Jim. I got up early and met the bookkeeper. You worked so late last night that I figured it was the least I could do. I have good news and I have bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Jim threw back his head and laughed and said, “Of course the good news, Chief.”

“The bookkeeper said that after six months of doing our books, he is happy to say we have made more money then he ever expected us to. Here are the passbooks from the bank with the savings that you stick into each of our books every week. We’re building up quite a nest egg and I think it’s great. I thought I’d tell you that I’m also adding some savings to your and my passbook from my paychecks, so I don’t feel like a slacker.”

“Babe, you could never be a slacker.” Jim pulled Blair into his arms and kissed him lovingly and let him know just how much Blair meant to him. He finally pulled out of the hug and asked, “So, what’s the bad news?”

“Hold on to your hat, Jim. Naomi is coming for a visit and wants to see our new place. I’m going to buy a roll-a-way bed for the office, if you don’t mind having it in there. That way she can stay with us.”

“You call that the bad news?” Jim laughed and kissed Blair again. “I can’t wait to see her. Why are you calling it the bad news?”

“She wants to know why we didn’t get a house. She wants to know why suddenly you thought it was a good idea to leave the police department. She wants to know if I’m working too hard, since you no doubt expect me to work along side you at the bar and do my teaching duties, also. She was being very irritating. I told her she had better calm her act down, or we’d make her stay in a hotel.”

“She’s just worried about her son, Blair. We’ll get through this, but while she’s here, I would like to invite my dad over for dinner one night. On one of my nights off, if you don’t mind. And by the way, we’ll buy a full sized bed for the office. She’s not sleeping on a roll-a-way bed.”

“You want to deal with your dad and my mom in the same night? You’re insane. I swear you sound like you’re drunk.”

“I think it could work out. I talked to my dad the other day and he asked when he could come and visit us. I told him I would call. This would be perfect timing. She’ll be here soon, so Monday would be perfect. We’ll cancel poker night and have the two in-laws to dinner instead. It’ll be great.”

Blair just looked at Jim like he had lost all of his marbles. “Jim, I’m a little worried about you. You haven’t seen your dad in ages and you think it’s a good idea to invite him over to our new place to see my mom?” 

“Yes, I think they might be good for each other. She can whine about how we are doing something wrong and dad can agree with her. It’ll be perfect.” Jim again threw back his head and laughed long and hard. 

“Okay, I get it now. You really think they’re going to gang up on us? Why would we want both of them here, then?” Blair wondered. 

Jim walked over and got another cup of coffee and sat back down to talk to Blair. “I think it’s going to be great. When does Naomi get here?”

“Monday, morning if everything goes right. Do you want me to cancel poker night, then?”

“While I’m in the shower, you could call Simon and ask him to tell everyone we’ll do it next week. That way you don’t have to call ten people.”

“I was thinking about getting in the shower with you,” Blair confessed. 

“In that case, call Simon now and I’ll call my dad. Once that’s done with, we’ll take our shower. You have the best ideas, Chief.”

Blair got his cell and called Simon. While he was talking to Simon, Jim called his dad. 

“Ellison…”

“Hi, Dad. How would you like to come on Monday evening, for dinner and to see our new bar and apartment?”

“Jimmy, I would love to come over. I know where the bar is, where is the apartment?”

“We’re right on top of the bar. There is a side entrance to our apartment. You ring the buzzer and we answer. Dinner will be at 5:00, because I know you eat early. Does it matter what we serve?” Jim asked. 

“No, I’ll eat anything, especially if I get to see my son. We haven’t seen each other in months, Jimmy.”

“I know, Dad. I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better now that I have the bar under control. I’m doing really well and you’ll be proud of how nice the place is.”

“Does the apartment have two bedrooms for the both of you?”

“Dad, I told you that Blair and I are together. So, we share a room. The second bedroom will be for company. In fact, Blair’s mom will be here on Monday. I thought it would be nice if you got to see her, too.” 

“Jimmy, I don’t really even know her. I just know that if she’s Blair’s mom, she must be a good person.” 

Jim smiled into the phone and said, “Thank you, Dad.”

“I’ll be there at five on Monday, Jimmy. Tell Blair thank you for having me over.”

“I will. We’ll see you soon, Dad. Goodbye.”

Jim got off the phone and turned around and found a naked lover in front of him. 

“Your phone call must have gone much smoother than mine,” Jim teased as he started stripping on the way to the bathroom. 

Once in the shower, they were kissing like they hadn’t seen each other in ages, rubbing their hands all over the other one, driving them both insane with need and before long they were rubbing up against each other until they both moaned with their completion. Then they were kissing once more. Jim loved having these mornings with Blair. Usually, Blair was gone in the morning. This was going to be a nice week. _Oh shit, I forgot about Naomi._

Jim kissed Blair’s neck and said, “Sorry I came so soon.”

“No problem, you noticed that I was right behind you. We haven’t had time for each other lately. We need to make time, Jim.”

They scrubbed up, shampooed their hair and got out, dried off and got dressed to start the day. Blair loved Sundays because he got to work with Jim all day and evening. Sundays were great.

_*_

**Monday Morning:**

Jim and Blair were at the airport at 9:00 on the dot to pick Naomi up. She saw Blair when she got her luggage and walked into the waiting area and smiled immediately. 

She put her arms around Blair and didn’t let go for the longest time. “Blair honey, you look thin. Are you eating enough? Are you sleeping enough? Is everything all right?”

Blair started laughing and said, “Calm down Mom. I feel terrific, I eat all the time and everything is dandy. Now, let go of me and hug on Jim for awhile.”

She did just that, although Jim didn’t think she wanted to, which was sort of weird. She usually liked him. 

“It’s good to see you, Naomi. Blair was so excited about you coming that we even bought a bed for the office, for when you come to stay.”

“Isn’t that nice? But, Blair is nice and thoughtful like that, don’t you agree, Jim?”

“Yes, he’s the best.”

“Good, I’m glad you appreciate him,” Naomi said, sounding relieved. 

“Excuse me, I’m still here. Stop talking about me as if I’m somewhere else.”

“My son never liked being ignored. I guess some thing’s never change.”

Both Naomi and Jim laughed. Blair glared at both of them. 

“I’ll take your bag, Naomi. You catch up with Blair.”

Jim grabbed the suitcase and started to roll it towards the parking garage. Once they arrived he unlocked the SUV and Naomi said, “New car, too?”

“Both Blair and I got new cars. We both needed them, so now he doesn’t break down like he used to. And the nice thing is that they are paid off.”

“Blair, I don’t know why I was so worried about you. It seems that you and Jim both have everything under control. I’m so glad to hear this. Jim, this is a nice vehicle.”

“I’ve always wanted a Chevy Blazer, so this worked out well. It’s nice and big, just the way I like it.”

They got inside and Naomi buckled up and asked Blair, “What kind did you get?”

“I got the same thing, except mine isn’t teal in color, mine is maroon. It’s nice.”

“You boys sound so good and look so good. Business is going well?”

Blair didn’t know how much he should tell Naomi, but he wanted to brag a little. “We’re doing so well, that we’ve replaced all of the money into savings that we used to buy everything and fix it all up. Jim and I are doing really well.”

“Jim, you pay Blair for working?”

“Of course, I pay him. Did you think I wasn’t going to? I pay myself, too.”

“I’m going to be so much more relaxed tonight. I was worried that you might be taking advantage of my son.”

“That would never happen, Naomi.” Changing the subject, Jim said, “We’re having chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight and I hope you don’t mind, my dad is coming over to eat with us.”

“I love chicken and dumplings, Jim. Who cooks?” Naomi wondered. 

Blair finally said something, “We take turns or we do it together. We both love to cook, so it’s not that big a deal. Jim makes killer chicken and dumplings. You’re going to love them.”

“Sounds good to me and it’ll be nice seeing William. I’ve only met him once before, so this will be good for us. Does he know about you and Blair?” she asked. 

“Yes, but sometimes he pretends he doesn’t remember. He doesn’t agree with our lifestyle, Naomi, but he’s still nice to us,” Jim admitted. 

“He’ll get used to it, Jim. You have to or you can’t see your children. I know I didn’t like the news at first. I wanted grandchildren, so it took me off guard. But, I read the letters that Blair sends and I know how much he loves you and you do him. This makes it better. Maybe you could borrow someone else’s child every now and then.”

Jim laughed and said, “That sounds good. Borrow one and then send them home when they get annoying.”

Blair just looked at both of them like they were nuts. 

When they parked, Naomi asked to see the bar, first thing. They gladly opened up the door, shut the alarm off and showed Naomi around. 

“Oh, I love that you have a pool table and dart boards in here. And look at that big fancy juke box. You boys did a fabulous job in fixing this up. I would come here and I’m very picky. Now, what time will William get here?”

“He’s coming at five, so we have all day to knock around, Mom.”

“I can’t wait to see your new apartment. Is it as big as the loft?” Naomi asked. 

Jim thought a moment and said, “You know, I think it’s bigger than the loft was. We have a nice kitchen, two large bedrooms and two bathrooms. The living room is good sized too. You’re going to like it. And the office is very comfortable to sleep in, so I think you’ll be happy.”

“Thank you both for being so good to me.”

They locked up, put the alarm back on and walked upstairs to their new home. She was very impressed with how it looked and made sure they knew how she felt about it. She tried out her new bed and saw it was really comfortable. It was a full sized bed, which was very nice of them. 

_*_

When Jim was cooking in the kitchen, he could hear Blair and Naomi talking in the living room. At about 4:30 the buzzer rang from downstairs. Blair jumped up and answered it and told William to come right up. 

Jim opened a bottle of good wine and poured all of them a drink before dinner. When his dad came through, Jim heard him telling Blair how nice it was. He was also talking to Naomi. _So far, so good._

They were all seated in the living room when Jim brought a tray out carrying the wine glasses. “I thought we could have a drink before dinner.” Jim set the tray down on the coffee table and picked one up for each of them and passed them around. 

They had small talk while Jim just smiled and watched them chatting. Jim hadn’t been this relaxed and happy in ages. It was good to have family around. It was time that they moved ahead. Jim knew that the night was going to work out because his dad kept smiling at him and Naomi was kissing Blair right and left. Yes, family was a good thing.


	7. Shifting Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William asks Naomi, Jim and Blair to join him for a Monday and Tuesday retreat at his new cabin in the mountains.

Shifting Outside  
Part 7 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: William asks Naomi, Jim and Blair to join him for a Monday and Tuesday retreat at his new cabin in the mountains.   
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Warnings: None  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count:2489

 

Naomi was enjoying the heck out of spending time with Jim and Blair. She even helped at the bar at night and seemed to really like it. One night she sang along with the jukebox and got applause when she was done. She never dreamed she would see the boys so relaxed and carefree. This was a great visit and she wished she could stay longer, but she didn’t want to wear out her welcome. As it was, she had spent almost a week here, and she dreaded leaving, which she didn’t normally do. Seeing her son so happy, made her year. 

Jim was cleaning up the tables that had just emptied out when his cell phone went off. He answered, “Ellison.”

“Jimmy, I have a proposition and wanted to talk to you about it. I just bought a four bedroom cabin in the Rainier Mountain range and I wanted to invite you, Blair and Naomi for Monday and Tuesday because I know those are your days off. Everything is there. A boat, jet skis and hot tub is on the deck of the cabin. Does it sound like fun? Oh, I forgot to mention, all the fishing you can get into two days.”

“Dad, that sounds great. Why did you buy a cabin?”

“I wanted to leave something to you and Blair and I knew you would use a cabin when I’m gone.”

“Dad, don’t talk like that. You’re going to be here for a long, long while. Yes, we would like to go. What time on Monday?” Jim asked, excitedly. 

“As early as possible. I was thinking around 5:00 would be nice. That way we would have almost two full days to relax and enjoy the cabin. Actually, we can even come home on Wednesday by noon, so we have a little more time. It only takes about one and a half hours to get there and back. Would that work for you, son?”

“That would be great, Dad. Let me ask Blair and we’ll discuss the times and who’s driving.”

“Jimmy, we all know you’re going to be driving. You’re sort of a control freak sometimes,” William teased. 

Jim threw back his head and laughed. “You’re right. I’ll drive and we’ll leave at five a.m.”

“Call me after you talk to Blair and Naomi.”

“Bye Dad,” Jim said before he closed the cell. He happily walked over to where Blair and Naomi were discussing what snacks to put out for the patrons. 

“I have good news for all of us. My dad just bought a four bedroom cabin in the Rainier Mountain range and he would like us to go with him on Monday morning until Wednesday at noon. He said there is a boat, jet-skis and a hot tub on the deck in the back of the cabin. What do you think?” Jim asked hopefully. 

“I think I can get a flight out by then, Jim. Then the two of you can go and have fun with William,” Naomi said. 

Jim just shook his head in wonder. “No, he wants it to be the four of us. So, you have to go. He asked, it would be rude to say no. What do you think, Naomi?” 

“I think it sounds perfect. I would love to go. How about you, honey? Do you want to go, too?” Naomi asked Blair. 

Blair got a huge smile on his face and started to bounce in place. “We can’t leave soon enough for me. It’s been a long six months without any time off, right, Jim?”

“Right, Chief. It’s going to be such fun. We’ll plan what to take up for food in the next two days. Naomi, you’re in charge of one meal while we’re up there. What would you like to make?”

Naomi pondered this question and finally smiled and asked, “How about Tongue? Your dad has probably never had it. I know that you and Blair like it, but I want William to like it too. What do you think?”

“Good idea, Mom. William will love it once he gets over the initial shock of what it is.”

Jim looked up at the clock and saw it was almost closing time. “I’ll close up the bar tonight, you two go upstairs and make some plans. I’m driving, so those are my plans.”

Blair snickered and then kissed Jim. “We’ll see you upstairs. Don’t stay down here too long. I’m tired tonight.”

“I promise, I’ll hurry as fast as I can,” Jim said. 

When Blair and Naomi got upstairs, Naomi said, “I can’t believe that William invited me to the camping trip. That was so nice, don’t you think?”

“He’s a pretty nice guy, Mom. Each time you see him, you’ll probably like him a little more. He’s getting used to me and Jim being together, which is a good thing. We were tired of hiding it from him. It’s much better to be out in the open. I can’t wait to go fishing. We haven’t been in ages.”

“Blair, do you have an extra rod for me? I like fishing now and then, too. And besides, I just decided, I’ll cook up something we catch instead of tongue. What if William thought we were nuts for serving tongue?”

“Maybe it’s a catfish farm and we’ll get some nice fried catfish out of the deal. Jim and I love catfish. Do you? And yes, I have extra rods.”

“Who doesn’t like catfish, Blair? I’m going to go into my room and start making a list of things I’ll need to pick up for frying catfish. And we have to have roasted marshmallows outdoors.”

“This trip is sounding better and better by the moment. Mom, I’m so glad you came for a visit. It’s been really nice having you around,” Blair confessed. 

“I’m glad I didn’t drive you or Jim nuts. I was afraid I had worn out my welcome. They same family is like fish, they stink after three days, you know?”

Blair laughed and said, “We’ll see you in the morning. How exciting, we’ll go shopping for everything tomorrow before we open up shop.”

“Blair, I love you and Jim so much and I wanted to thank you both for being so kind to me. I was a little unkind when I got here. I know that much. But, I see how wonderful you both are together and it gives me a great deal of hope.”

“I’ll tell Jim, Mom. Goodnight.”

Blair walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed with a tablet and started writing things he would need for food for their almost three day trip. He was so into it, he didn’t notice the time or Jim coming in. 

Jim walked up behind Blair and kissed his neck sending a jolt of electricity through Blair’s body and making him almost jump off the bed. 

“Warn a person, will ya?” 

“How are things going, Babe?”

“Everything is great. We’re all going shopping in the morning before we open the bar. I wonder if we could get Henri to stay at our place while we leave, so that if the alarm goes off, someone is here to take care of it,” Blair suggested. 

“I’ll call him in the morning, that’s a terrific idea, but instead of Henri, why don’t we ask Megan? Henri’s pretty serious with his girlfriend, where Megan has mentioned no one.”

“Yeah, call Megan. In fact, she stays up late, you could call her now,” Blair said. 

“Blair, I’m not calling Megan at 2:00 in the morning. Tomorrow will be soon enough. What are you doing on the notepad?”

“I’m starting our list for things that we’re going to need at the cabin. Do you suppose we’ll have to take ice in a cooler? I don’t know what kind of cabin it is.”

“My dad just called me a little while ago and said that it has everything, including a freezer with ice. He said to bring no food, because the kitchen is completely stocked. We just need to bring ourselves.”

“Okay, I hope he stocked it with things we’re going to need for frying catfish,” Blair said, dreamily. “I love catfish.”

“I know you do. We all do. This is going to be great.”

*

Monday morning at 5:00, Jim was driving down the road, looking sleepy as hell. Blair looked at him and said, “I’m going to drive if you don’t get a cup of coffee and freshen up. You look like you’re going to drop.”

“Jimmy, did you sleep at all?” 

“No, Dad, I didn’t. I was too excited and I figured I would just stay awake. Looking back on that I think I should have slept.”

Naomi was the first one to offer, “Jim, I would gladly drive for you. Just pull over and you can sleep back here.”

Jim looked horrified and said, “Thank you anyhow but I just need coffee in my system. We’ll stop at the Corner Store on the way out of town. I’m going to be fine, everyone.”

“I wouldn’t mind driving either,” William added. 

“No one is going to drive but Jim. He doesn’t like to lose control of the control,” Blair teased. 

They stopped and got coffee at the Corner Store and were on their way. 

“So, William, what do you think of these two boys being in love?” Naomi asked. 

Blair and Jim’s mouth’s just dropped open. They couldn’t believe she brought it up like that. 

“At first I thought it was a joke. Then I could tell they were serious and I would have to get used to them together, but I didn’t like it. Then when I saw them after that, I saw how much they meant to each other and I was glad they had found one another. Now, I think of Blair as my son-in-law and I’m grateful that he takes such good care of Jimmy.”

Jim let a breath of air out from holding it, the entire time. Blair almost laughed. Blair knew that Jim got nervous about things like that. 

“I felt the same way, William. I thought for sure they were making a mistake until I saw them together and watched them for awhile. They’re really a good couple and are perfect for each other,” Naomi agreed. 

Blair turned around and said, “Okay, enough talk about us. What are we going to do at the cabin and how long does it take to get there?”

William smiled. “It takes about forty minutes from here. Jimmy drives fast, so we’re half-way there already. And as far as what we’re going to do at the cabin is fish, swim, go boating and relax in the hot tub. How does that sound to everyone?”

“Dad, I think it sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to get on the lake. It’s close to a lake, I take it?”

“Jimmy, it’s right on the lake. Wait until you see how gorgeous this place is. You’re all going to have such fun.”

Blair was bouncing in his seat. “Jim, the speed limit is 50, you’re only going 45. We could be there sooner if you paid attention.”

Everyone laughed but Jim. “We’ll get there when we get there. Dad, is this our turn coming up?”

“Yes, mile marker 276 is the one. Take a left and follow the road for about fifteen minutes. Then we’re there,” William said, happily. 

Jim did as his dad told him to and they passed many cabins on the way, but William didn’t say anything so Jim just kept on going until there was nowhere else to go. He pulled up in the driveway and said, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Why would I kid about a thing like this? This baby has everything anyone would ever need. Come on, let’s get out and take our things in.” William was the first one out of the SUV. 

“William, this place is gorgeous,” Naomi said as she grabbed her suitcase. 

“I bought it to impress people,” William teased. 

“It worked Dad, we’re impressed.”

“Yes, William, I have to admit this is so far from what I thought a cabin would be it isn’t even funny,” Blair said. 

“Let’s get inside and start the vacation.” William led the way and unlocked the door. They all walked in and were in awe. They just thought it looked beautiful from the outside, from the inside it was even better. It was gorgeous with one of the most beautiful kitchens they had ever seen.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/small-cabin-kitchen-designwood-cabinet-kitchen-ideas-for-a-cabin-fxadotok_zps2ad81882.jpg.html)

“William, you’ve outdone yourself in finding one of the nicest cabins I’ve ever seen,” Naomi admitted. 

“Why thank you, Naomi. I like it. Now that I’m older, I like to relax and enjoy the good life. I used to like staying in a tent, but my poor old back won’t do that anymore. And now, Jim and Blair won’t have to either. This is mostly for them. I just hope they’ll ask me to come now and then,” William said. 

“Well, Dad, it’s not like I’m going to come here without you, it’s your cabin.”

“Actually, it’s you and Blair’s cabin. We just have to do the paperwork in Cascade when we get back. I bought it for you.”

Blair hugged William and said, “This is the nicest thing you could have ever done for us. We love to get away now and then. This will be perfect and of course you’ll come up with us all the time. And any time my mom is here, she’s invited, too.”

Jim was next to hug his dad. “Thanks, Dad. You really should have saved the money for you. But, I’m sure not going to bitch about this place. It’s gorgeous.”

“I saw it and knew you guys would love it. I figured you could invite your friends from the station and have room for everyone. And the roads are cleaned up really well in the winter, they informed me. See, you can come any time of the year that you want to.”

“William, thank you for being so good to my son. They are both such good men, it’s hard not to be good to them. But, I wanted to at least thank you for your kindness.”

“You are most welcome, Naomi. Now, let’s get unpacked and start this fishing we all talked about,” William said as he showed everyone to their rooms. 

Jim smiled at everyone and had such a warm feeling in his heart, it almost hurt. This is what family was all about. Now, if they could get Stephen to come up here, that would make it perfect. That would come later. 

TBC


	8. Secrets Shifting Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen pays a visit to Blair at the university. Blair is forced to keep a secret. Can he do that?
> 
> Warnings: Angst AU (Not a nice Stephen) Language

Secrets Shifting Around  
Part 8 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Stephen pays a visit to Blair at the university. Blair is forced to keep a secret. Can he do that?  
Warnings: Angst AU (Not a nice Stephen) Language  
Rating: Teen  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Word Count: 2091

 

Blair had finally finished grading the tests from that morning and was just about ready to call it a day when there was a knock on his office door. 

“Come in,” Blair called out. 

Stephen Ellison walked in and this threw Blair off. Why would Stephen be there? Did something happen to Jim? Blair’s heart was racing like crazy as he stood up. 

“You can get the panicked look off your face, nothing is wrong with Jim, other than losing his mind.”

“Why are you here, Stephen?” 

“Well, Blair, this is the problem. I can’t have a fag living in my family. Jim called me and wants to get together and do something this weekend and it’s up to you if I make any plans or not. You have to prove to me how much you love my brother and call this relationship off. I don’t care what excuse you use, but you either dump him, or I dump him. Which do you think he would be more devastated by?”

To say that Blair was in shock was an understatement. “So, for no apparent reason I’m supposed to break up with Jim and he’ll be fine with that?”

“It’s up to you. He’s going to call me on Sunday to make plans and if you’re still in the picture, there will be no plans to make,” Stephen said, hatefully. 

“I have to think about this, you can’t expect me to make up my mind just like that. I’ll let you know on Saturday. Now, please leave my office,” Blair ordered. 

Stephen smiled and said, “You know that you’ll do what’s right for Jim. You don’t want his family life ruined because of you. I know that much about you. Think about it and do what’s right.” Stephen walked out the door and shut it behind him. 

Blair finally took a deep breath and didn’t know what he was supposed to do first. Should he call William and talk to him? Should he call Jim? No, he couldn’t tell Jim. If Jim really wanted to get together with Stephen, Blair was going to have to think about this. Blair glanced down and saw that his hands were shaking. Wow, he was going to have to get himself under control or Jim would know something was wrong right away. Blair got his backpack ready to go and started for the parking lot. There he saw Stephen watching Blair from his own car. _Oh goody, a brother that stalks._

Blair got into the Blazer and took some deep breaths and as he pulled out, Stephen did too. Blair noticed that Stephen was following him. When Blair pulled into the parking lot at the grocery store, so did Stephen. He really was stalking Blair. _Fuck…_

When Blair came out with two bags of groceries, Stephen was outside of his car watching every move Blair made. Blair wasn’t certain what to think of any of this. It was one thing to tell him to break up with Jim, but now he was following him, too. Blair was deeply confused and not to mention a little nervous. 

Blair drove right to the apartment and got out and took the groceries upstairs. He didn’t look to see if Stephen followed him or not. He didn’t want to know. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 3:30, so Jim would be downstairs already. Thankfully, that gave Blair some time to think. 

As he put things away, he wondered what he was going to do. He sure as hell didn’t want to break up with Jim. No one had ever loved Blair like Jim did. And Blair knew he would never find anyone that treated him better than Jim did. 

Blair suddenly leaned into the cupboard and started to shake. He realized he had no one to talk to. Not one person to share this burden with. He had friends at school, but not that type of friends. He had Megan Connor, who was a close friend, but he didn’t know if he could trust anyone to know without telling Jim. It all boiled down to the fact that Stephen would put an end to any relationship with Jim if Blair was in the picture and Blair wasn’t sure Jim could live with that. Jim loved his little brother. And now, Blair had to decide what was best for Jim whether it be best for Blair or not. 

Blair put everything away and decided to shower before he went down to help Jim in the bar. He was in no rush because he still had thinking to do. Blair walked over to the front window and looked out and there was Stephen watching him from below. _Lousy fucker…_

He decided against the shower. He would take a nice one when they got up there tonight after work. Blair was going to have Jim make love to him like he never had before. Blair knew he was going to have to leave. _Why did you buy groceries if you’re leaving?_ Now, he just needed to think up a reason to leave.

Blair called the dean at the university and asked if he could take some personal leave. She told him that he could take a month off. Blair decided that he might go somewhere and leave Jim for a month. Then Jim could have time with Stephen and hopefully understand why Blair had to do this. Jim was going to be so hurt, but at least he would still have his brother in his life, right? 

Blair went downstairs to help at the bar and Jim smiled when he walked in. The simple smile broke Blair’s heart. 

Jim walked over to him rather quickly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I need to go and spend a month with my mom. I hope you’ll understand. I just need some time to think.”

“Let me tell Charlie we’re going upstairs. I want to talk to you,” Jim said as he hurried off to tell their part-time help what was going on. _What the fuck? What is going on?_

Blair went back upstairs and didn’t even wait for Jim. He sat down on the sofa and tried to look normal. _Oh, like you’ll ever be normal again._

Jim came walking through the door and said, “All right. Out with it. What’s going on?”

“Jim, someone talked to me at the university today and asked me out. I was tempted and realized, I might have jumped into this relationship a little too fast.”

“Oh man, you are fucking lying. You know I can tell when you’re lying and you are. So tell me what’s really going on.”

“Can’t a person just want a break?” Blair asked. 

“Does this break have anything to do with my brother Stephen sitting outside the bar?”

Blair looked shocked. “Stephen’s outside?”

“There you go again. You can’t lie to me, Blair. Why try?”

“Fine, yes it has to do with your brother. That’s all I’m saying.”

“I take it he asked you to give me up for the greater good?” Jim asked. 

“Sort of,” Blair answered and sighed. 

“First of all, I could care less about what Stephen thinks about me. My dad already told me he doesn’t want a fag in the family. So, when I called and made plans for Sunday, he said he would call me back. I knew something was up because I would never make it in his world.”

Blair looked up with relief on his face and said, “Jim, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“You thought leaving me alone to wonder what I had done to you was the right thing to do?” Jim shouted and Blair realized that Jim was really pissed off. 

Blair got up and went into Jim’s arms and kissed his neck and whispered, “I love you more than life itself. I couldn’t give you up. That was the problem. He said if I really loved you, I could give you up. Those things made me question my love for you. I’m sorry, Jim. Please forgive me.”

Jim pulled out of Blair’s tight hold and walked over to the window and opened the curtain. Stephen was standing there outside his car watching the window. Jim stood there for a moment and then flipped Stephen the bird. He turned around and said, “That’s what I think of Stephen. He’s an ass, always has been. He worries about what people are going to say and think.”

Blair went back into Jim’s arms again and asked, “So, am I forgiven?”

Jim kissed him longingly and said, “Follow me.”

Jim took Blair in the bedroom and made love to him like Jim had never made love to Blair. Jim wanted to be sure that Blair understood that he was Jim’s life. Jim couldn’t make it without Blair. 

As they lay in each others arms when they were done, Blair asked, “Should we get to work?”

“Yes. I won’t let my brother ruin the love of my life, my job or our home. He’s a fucking loser. Now, let’s get in the shower and get ready to go to work.”

_*_

That night, Jim was waiting on customers when William walked in the door and smiled. Jim smiled back and William seemed to be looking for Blair. 

Jim caught his eye and pointed in the direction of the pool table. Blair was playing a game with one of their best customers. 

William walked over and asked Blair if he could talk to him. Blair excused himself and pulled William into the dart board area, which was empty. 

Blair said, “Hello, William. It’s good to see you.”

“I wanted to thank you for not listening to Stephen. He told me what he did and thought I would hate you because you didn’t love Jim enough. He’s not right in the head, if you know what I mean?”

“So, you’re not mad at me, William?”

William hugged him and said, “Thank you for loving my son. He’s never been happier and I’m glad that you know this.”

“Well, don’t give me too much credit. I tried to break up with him. He saw through it and wouldn’t listen.”

William laughed and said, “I wish I could have been there to see him handle Stephen. Stephen told me Jimmy had the gall to flip him off.”

“He did, William. It was so funny. I snickered, but not loudly because I don’t want to create a monster.”

“I’m glad that that secret is out in the open, Blair. We can’t have you boys fighting or leaving each other.”

“Thank you for being so supportive. I feel bad that Stephen will miss out on his wonderful brother because of me.”

“Stephen is an idiot. He’ll come to his senses one day and I hope it’s not too late for Jimmy to forgive him.”

“William, Jim would always forgive Stephen. Always. He loves his brother and it’s as simple as that.”

“Jimmy is a kind human being. It wasn’t because of me, I was terrible to Jimmy. I can’t believe he’s so good to me, now.”

“It’s never too late to try and make up for the past, William.”

“I better get home. I just wanted to stop and say hello and tell you how happy I am that Stephen didn’t break you boys up.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Blair said as he walked him to the bar to say goodbye to Jim. 

“Goodnight, Jimmy. I hope you flip him off again,” William said, laughing. 

Jim laughed too. “Did he call and whine, Dad?”

“As a matter of fact, he did and when I laughed that pissed him off more.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Night, Jimmy. Blair is going to walk me to my car. See you soon.”

Jim smiled as Blair walked William to the door. Jim was happier than he had been in ages. It was wonderful to find out that someone loves you enough to almost give you up for a family member. Almost, being the key word. 

When Blair walked back in, he was smiling so happily that Jim knew things were fine. Everything would always be good if there was love and no secrets.

TBC


	9. Shifting Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blair starts getting flowers and love notes from someone. Jim doesn’t like it one bit. Watch out for jealous Jim.   
> Warnings: a little angst, bad language

Shifting Away  
Part 9 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Blair starts getting flowers and love notes from someone. Jim doesn’t like it one bit. Watch out for jealous Jim.   
Warnings: a little angst, bad language  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2491 

 

Jim was growling under his breath as Blair opened up the letter from Blair’s secret admirer. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, Chief?”

“I am not. I can’t help it that someone finds me attractive. Can I help that, Jim?”

“No, but you don’t have to look so fucking happy about it, that’s for sure.”

“I’m not happy. I’m just wondering why this person doesn’t sign the notes. It’s been three weeks. Don’t you think that’s long enough to hide behind a piece of paper and flowers?” Blair asked. 

“Flowers? What flowers?” Jim shouted. 

“Did I forget to tell you about the flowers that I’ve been getting at the university? It’s no big deal. I give them to the girls in my department. I don’t keep them, Jim.”

“The letters are one thing, Chief, but flowers are another. He’s making more contact and I can’t say that I like that at all. When did you start getting the flowers?”

Blair frowned and didn’t say anything. 

Jim huffed in disgust and said, “You’ve been getting them since before the letters, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but I knew that you would make a big deal about them, so I didn’t say anything. Besides, I don’t keep them.”

“Blair, are they usually from the same flower shop?”

“Jim, I’m not an idiot. I called and asked the shop keeper questions but he said that it was all done over the phone. The card that pays for them is one of those pay as you go cards. So, there is nothing to watch for.”

“Good, at least you’re taking this seriously. I think we should report it to Simon,” Jim suggested. 

“And tell him what, Jim? I’ve been overtaken by flowers in my office and I don’t know who sent them. Someone has a lot of money to be doing this, so I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”

“They? There is more than one person sending you things?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like they sign the card themselves. One day it sounds like pure romance and the next day it’s terrible poetry,” Blair explained. 

“Give an example. What did today’s card say?”

“I really don’t want to discuss this with you. You get crazy jealous and I don’t like that.”

Jim got close to Blair kissed him sweetly and whispered, “Just a little bit of what he said in the note.”

Blair pulled out of Jim’s arms and looked disgusted. “Okay, you asked for it. Today’s note said, _First you lick, then you suck. Then hold on tight and fuck, fuck, fuck._ Are you happy now, Jim?”

“That’s the sort of shit he’s sending you? I want to call Simon,” Jim said as he grabbed the phone. 

“Jim, please think about my reputation. They already think I’m weird, now they’ll think I’m weird and can’t take care of myself.”

“Blair, what if this man finds you and attacks you? Would you be happy then? Would you want me to call the police then?”

“Fine, call Simon. I saved all of the notes and the phone number of the flower shop. They’ll find out the same shit that I did.” Blair walked away, looking unhappier then he had in ages. 

“Chief, come here.” Jim sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him. 

“What?”

“I’m worried. You work some nights and I’m not with you, so I worry. He could just be a stalker, or he could be insane. I would feel better if we let Simon in on it.”

“Do what you want. Like I said, I saved everything, so you can read all his trash too. Although, it could be a woman.”

“A woman?” Jim asked, like it had never occurred to him. 

“Yes, Jim, a woman. As in the type of people I used to date before I decided to be with you.”

“I guess it could be a woman. Have you flirted with anyone lately?” Jim asked, sounding pretty pissed off. 

“I knew this was going to come back and bite me in the ass. No, I have not flirted with anyone, but they flirt with me all the time. I can’t stop how other people act, Jim. Call Simon and get this over with.”

Jim got up and called Simon. He was on the phone in the kitchen for awhile and came back out and said, “Simon agrees with you. He thinks it’s too soon to call in the troops. He said he’ll come by your office tomorrow and see the notes and make a judgment call from that.”

“Thank God for that. See, it wasn’t just me. He believes I can take care of myself, too,” Blair said, kissing Jim as he tried to calm him down. 

“If anything happens to you, Blair, I’m blaming Simon for the rest of his life.”

“Oh for crying out loud. Let me call Simon and see if he can come over and read the notes now.” Blair got up, very disgustedly and walked to the phone. 

Now, Jim was happy. He was getting his way after all and Blair would be safer.

When Blair came back into the living room, he said, “He’s coming now. He said for you to take a sedative and go to bed.” Blair burst out laughing at the look on Jim’s face. 

“You all think this is very funny, but it’s not. If something happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself for not making a bigger deal out of it.”

“Oh, Jim, I think that you couldn’t make a bigger deal out of it if you tried.”

“Shut up, Blair. I’m serious.”

“So am I, asshole.” Blair got up and stormed into the kitchen. Blair got his jacket on and said, “I’m going for a walk.”

“No, you’re not. You’ll wait for Simon to get here. I’ll shut up and leave you alone.”

“You’ve never told me to shut up before, Jim.”

“Well, tonight is a first, I would guess. I’m sorry. I got carried away. I’m worried about all of this. I think it’s a man. I can feel it.”

Blair burst out laughing. “Jim, I seriously doubt you can feel who these are from.”

“I’m going to start paying more attention at the bar and see if anyone seems out of the ordinary. You know what I mean?”

“So, now instead of one stalker, I’ll have two. Great…”

Jim got up to answer the door and let Simon in. “Hello, Jim. Get yourself a chill pill and calm down.”

“Simon, I kid you not, if anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive you or myself.”

“Bring me the notes, Sandburg…”

Blair got up and walked into the office and got the notes out of his backpack. He came back into the living room and handed them to Simon where he was sitting on the sofa. 

“Would you like something to drink, Simon?” Blair asked. 

“A beer would be very nice. Thank you, Blair.”

_Oh shit, he doesn’t call me Blair too often. Maybe he’s worried too._

Simon started looking over the notes and then handed them to Jim. Both men read all twelve of them and looked over at Blair. 

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Blair, these are very sexual. This man or woman could be very dangerous. I’m going to put a tail on you. Try to act natural if you see Henri Brown or Rafe. Okay?”

“Fine…”

“Blair, we’re just worried. Simon is worried now, too.”

Simon looked at Blair and tried to remain in control. “Sandburg, we have to find him. I think it’s a ‘him’. The way he talks about having you as his own, is down right frightening.”

“Okay, I’ll try and act as usual. You’ll watch me all the time?” Blair wondered. 

“Not when you’re here. I think Jim can watch out for you here. Although, he might be following you here. I changed my mind. Megan will be following you in the evenings for the next week. Try not to chat with her. Act like you don’t know her. Can you do that, Sandburg?”

“Yes, Simon. I can follow orders, you know?”

“Loose the attitude, Blair, this might be dangerous,” Simon barked. 

“Sorry, Simon. I’m just tired. I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” Blair said as he walked towards the bedroom. Jim grabbed his hand as he walked by and Jim asked, “Are we talking?”

“I’m sleeping, Jim. You can talk all you want.” Blair pulled his hand out from Jim’s hand and walked into the bedroom. 

“You better take care of your business, Jim. You don’t want him upset and not watching his step.”

“I know, Simon. Thank you, for taking this seriously.” Jim walked Simon to the door and watched him walk down the stairs. Then he sighed because he knew he had to deal with Blair. 

Jim locked up, shut all the lights out and went in and got ready for bed. He slid into bed and pulled Blair into his arms and Blair pushed him away.

“Jim, I’m not in the mood.”

“Blair, I have to have you in my arms tonight. You don’t have to like me or anything, but I have to hold you in my arms. Do you understand?”

Blair turned around and slid into Jim’s arms freely and said, “Yes, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand. This is just a Jim thing.”

“Yes, it is and I want to feel like you’re safe while we sleep. Goodnight, Blair.”

“Goodnight, Jim.”

Jim noticed that neither of them said they loved the other one. This had to be a first time thing and Jim didn’t care for the feeling. He kissed Blair’s forehead and said, “I love you.”

Blair didn’t answer and Jim was saddened by that. But he knew that Blair was upset and needed space. Jim couldn’t give him that right now. It was indeed a Jim thing. 

_*_

The next day, the boys weren’t really talking but Jim did say, “Henri is down the street on stakeout. So, try not to notice him if you can.”

“I’m not stupid, Jim.” Blair got his things and left. He didn’t say goodbye or anything else. 

Again, Jim was saddened by this. Whoever this was, he was tearing the two men apart. Jim tried to think of anyone that would have anything against the two of them. Or even, one of them. No names came to mind. 

_*_

At the university, Blair got another delivery and he opened the card and was shocked at what it said. It was so hateful sounding that it frightened him. He picked up the phone and called Jim. 

“Ellison…”

“Jim, I got a terrible note today. I think he’s escalating.”

“What’s the note say, Blair?”

“I don’t want to tell you, Jim. It’s horrible.”

“Just tell me Blair.”

“It says, _I’m going to fuck your hole and you’re going to love it._ This isn’t at all like the other ones. They were almost making fun of notes but now it’s scaring me.”

“Do you want me to come down?” Jim asked hopefully. 

“Yes…”

“I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Lock your door Chief. I’ll go to classes with you today. The Bar can stay closed for a day.”

“Put a sign on the door that says it’s an emergency. A lot of our customers will be worried.”

“I will. Now, lock the door.”

“Hurry up, Jim.”

“I’m on my way.” Jim rushed out of the house like it was on fire. He posted a note on the door and flew to his Blazer and started for the university. He knew it wouldn’t take long at this time of day. And thankfully, traffic was great. 

When Jim arrived, Henri was standing in front of Blair’s door. Jim looked at Henri strangely and said, “Why are you here?”

“Someone called and said Blair needed me.”

“What did he sound like?” Jim asked as he knocked on the door. 

Blair opened it and let both men inside. Then shut and locked the door again. 

“He sounded a little like you, actually. At first I thought it was you. But then as he talked a little more I realized it was someone else.”

Jim shook his head and said, “Fuck. He’s so fucked now.”

Henri looked surprised and asked, “Who?”

“It’s my stupid, fucking brother. Call Simon and tell him they’ll find the charge card and the phone at my brother’s office. I want a restraining order out on him and I want charges brought against him for something. Figure it out with Simon. I’m too pissed to think.” Jim walked over and held Blair in his arms. 

“I’m so sorry, Chief.”

“I never even thought about Stephen,” Blair admitted. 

“I did once, but thought even he wouldn’t be that cruel. So, I shrugged it off. He’s such a dick. I would kill him if he was right here.”

Blair kissed Jim and said, “It’ll be all right. Henri’s going to go and take care of things right now.”

Henri did indeed leave and Jim stayed with Blair all day long while he taught his classes. Jim just sat up in the back and no one even noticed him. And Jim found something else out. Blair was a fantastic teacher. No wonder the students did well in his classes. He made it exciting and fun. Even though Blair was nervous, he still taught his little heart out. 

When Blair was done for the day, they walked to his car to be sure it was all right. And Simon walked up to them. 

“You were right, Jim. It was Stephen and he’s being charged as we speak. He’s so stupid he’ll probably call you for bail.”

“I hope he does. I’d like nothing better then to kick his ass.”

“No one is going to kick anyone’s ass,” Simon stated. “Let us take care of business. I just wanted to let you know it’s all under control.”

“Thank you, Simon,” Blair said. 

“You’re very welcome, Sandburg. We’ll see you next Monday night for poker night. Bye, Jim.”

“Thanks Simon.” 

Jim got in his car and called Blair on his phone. “You okay, Chief?”

“I’m better then okay. I feel great. Now, let’s get home so we can be with each other all night long. We’ll keep the bar closed for tonight.”

“Sounds good to me, Chief. I’m glad you’re fine.”

“I’m glad we’re both fine. See you soon, Jim. I love you.”

“I love you, Blair.”

Both men knew that there was going to be some ugliness in all of this, but they knew they hadn’t brought it on. Stephen had brought it all on himself. 

TBC


	10. Shifting Into Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen is charged and has to deal with the results. He gets a light sentence and how does this make Blair feel? How does Jim handle it? 
> 
> Warning: Angst, bad language
> 
> Note: Stephen might just come around...

Shifting Into Drive  
Part 10 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Stephen is charged and has to deal with the results. He gets a light sentence and how does this make Blair feel? How does Jim handle it?   
Warning: Angst, bad language  
Rating: Teen  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Word Count: 4068

 

Simon stopped by Jim’s Place before it opened and knocked on the door. Jim opened wearing a big smile. “Hello, Simon. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to tell you about the outcome of Stephen’s trial. Get Blair and we’ll discuss it. When do you open?” Simon asked. 

“We open in an hour, so we have time. I’ll go and get Blair. He’s in the kitchen making dessert. Wednesday is sweet day. He always makes something up and we sell it for those that like beer and sweets. The thought makes me ill, but what can I say?” Jim walked in the kitchen and came back out with Blair following. Blair looked very serious. 

“Hi, Simon. It’s good to see you other then on poker night. Come and sit down and tell us all about the outcome.” Blair led Simon to the table closest to them and they all sat down. 

“I don’t understand, Simon, we didn’t get called as witnesses. My dad said that they might charge him with a hate crime on top of the other charges. Is this true?” Jim wondered. 

“First of all, Stephen pled guilty to all of the charges that were against him. There was no contest, so he was charged and the judge told him what he got that day. This is going to piss you both off, but it’s over and done with. We didn’t have any say in it. The DA thought it was a good call. He’s going to be on probation for one year and has to do Community Service once a week for two months. The judge has left the Community Service up to Blair, but that’s all he got. Oh, and he got a $600.00 fine, if that counts for anything.”

Jim stood up and started to pace. “This is so perfect. He did all that shit to Blair and gets Community Service? What a crock of shit, Simon.”

“I agree Jim. I tried to tell them that he was a danger to you two, but no one would listen to me. The DA thinks he got a good deal with Stephen’s lawyer. And he thinks that if you file a restraining order it will really stop him from doing anything. Just remember, all you have to do is call us and we’ll take it from there if he comes near you, Blair.”

“It’s not your fault, Simon, so I’m not angry at you. I am however angry at Stephen thinking he can buy his way out of everything. Which, I guess is true,” Blair said, sadly. 

“I heard that his boss has him on an unpaid suspension. The man doesn’t tolerate hate crimes. Stephen thought he was going to get off scot free, but he didn’t. He didn’t think about what his boss would think about his actions. So, I heard that Stephen is looking for work and having a hard time finding anything. This might help you both feel a little better about things.” Simon stood up and patted both men on the back. “I’ve got to go. You think about that Community Service, Blair and get back to me with that. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks for coming by and telling us what’s going on, Simon,” Jim said. 

“Yes, thank you, Simon,” Blair added. 

“Jim, I hope I don’t have to tell you to stay away from him. If you do something to him, it’ll ruin everything. You can’t lay a finger on him.” Simon hoped that Jim was listening. 

“I know that, Simon. Even if I wanted to, I promised my dad I wasn’t going to kill him.”

“Good, one less thing for me to worry about. See you both on Monday night for poker. Have a nice week and weekend,” Simon stated on his way out the door. 

Jim locked the door once Simon left and looked over at Blair. “You’re awfully quiet. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking, I’m sure glad I met you all those years ago and not Stephen or I wouldn’t be so happy and in love.”

“Thanks, Chief.”

“You’re welcome, big guy. Now, I need to finish the desserts for tonight’s opening. Did you already guess what I made?”

“I know they’re Greek Wedding Cookies. I can smell them a mile away. I love them. Make sure and charge enough because they’re a lot of work for you. Did you make up a ton of them?”

“I made up about 300 of them. While you were down here doing the books and cleaning the bar, I was baking my little heart out upstairs and then started down here so it would have that smell of just baked goodies in the bar. I’m going to sell them in twos. And they are a lot of work, so I’m charging plenty. I’ve also got tons of coffee to brew, to go with them. We’ll see how this goes tonight.”

“What are you making next week?” Jim wondered, ever the sweet lover. 

“Carrot Cake is on the menu for next Wednesday. I have a great recipe and everyone I know loves the frosting that I use. You’ve had it before, so it won’t be anything new for you.”

“I love your Carrot Cake. I love Wednesday’s. I remember when you started this idea, I thought you were nuts. But, it sure has worked out well. Last week you sold every single one of the chocolate chip cookies you made. The patrons love you.”

“Thanks, Jim. I love all of them, too. See you after awhile, I need to finish up this baking.”

Jim finished putting the pretzels and nuts on the bar and on the tables. Then he put the note with Blair’s dessert of the evening and the cost on each table. Blair always typed one up and made copies for the bar. Jim realized that Blair was helping to make this the best bar in the area. They had been written about twice by reporters. Both men gave Jim’s Place five stars. A lot of cops came in, but not just cops. People that worked in the neighborhood came in all the time and Jim and Blair had become fast friends with all of them. This bar had made them money and it had made them happy. Jim couldn’t beat that. 

When Jim opened up that night, two people came walking in and asked, “What did Blair make for tonight?”

Jim smiled and said, “Greek Wedding Cookies. They are ‘melt in your mouth’ delicious.”

“Can we have coffee to start the evening off?” Ben asked. He was one of their favorites. He owned the hardware store about five doors down. 

“I’ll get the coffee brewing right now, Ben. Sit down and relax. Would either of you like anything else?”

“We’ll wait for the coffee and have a beer after dessert.”

Jim got the coffee started and the bar was filling up. Thankfully, Jim had one of the big coffee makers that had five urns. So, he was usually pretty good at keeping up with the patrons. 

Blair came out and brought the little packages of Greek Wedding Cookies and they were selling like hotcakes. One man bought a hundred dollars worth so he could take some home. Blair kept little bags under the bar, so he had something to put them in. The coffee and the dessert were going like wild and Jim and Blair were both running the bar that night. It took both of them to keep up on Wednesdays. Not that either of them would complain. 

Jim had a few moments and got some dinner together for the homeless vets in the alley. Then he of course added some Wedding Cookies and each got a cup of coffee and a carton of milk. Jim took them out to the guys and they chatted for a few minutes and then Jim got back inside to make sure Blair was handling things all right. 

Things were quiet and Blair decided he would ask Jim a few things. “Jim, have you heard anything back from the realtor about the building next door? I know you wanted to open a place for homeless vets and you haven’t said anything about it since you mentioned it.”

“They won’t come down on the price at all and I can’t swing the price they are asking. So, now I’m thinking about renting. What do you think of that idea? I’ve asked the people in the neighborhood what they thought about a shelter for vets and everyone thought it was a great idea. I just need to hire someone to run it, keep it clean and make sure there are no problems there.”

“I know someone that’s looking for a job,” Blair said. 

“Who?” Jim asked. 

“Since Henri got shot, he’s still on disability from the city, but he can’t go back to being a cop. Maybe he could run this place. Would it pay much?” 

“Shit, I never even thought about Henri. He would be perfect for it. He’s nice, but tough when he has to be. The county will pay the person that runs the place. And it’s not bad. It’s more then he made as a cop. I’ll call him tomorrow and see what he says. The county will pay me to open the building up for the vets, but I think it’s only if I buy the place. Maybe we will buy it after all. It’s a nice big place. You haven’t seen it yet, but it’s really large. By the time we get it set up, we could have about 25 rooms for vets. The county would be getting Federal Aid.”

“Let’s buy it, Jim. We can do wonders with it and we’re close if Henri needs help in any way.”

“Okay, I’ll call the realtor tomorrow and ask him to put in the offer.”

“Jim, I think you should ask your dad if he’d like to go in on it too. He looks for investments all the time. He told me that.”

“I’ll call him tomorrow, too. Thanks for the ideas, Chief. Now, we better get busy if we don’t want people to leave pissed off.”

Blair smiled and went back to work. As both of the guys guessed, they sold every single one of the cookies. Blair made his money back very easily that night. He was even smiling once they closed and he was cleaning up everything.

There was a knock at the front door and it was Henri Brown. Jim opened the door and said, “Man, you must have known that we were talking about you.”

“I thought I would come and see if you have some work for me. I’ve been putting my applications all over town, but once they hear you’ve been injured, they don’t want to hire you.”

“Well, come in and sit down, because we have something to talk to you about.” Jim locked the door after he shut it and they all sat down with coffee and discussed what Blair and Jim had discussed earlier. They talked until about four in the morning. When Henri left, he was smiling and feeling much better about life in general. Now, Jim just had to buy the place and get the paperwork started. 

Jim and Blair went upstairs and went right to bed. They both knew they had to get up fairly early to make the phone calls. 

As they lay in bed, Jim pulled Blair into his arms and said, “I’m sorry that my brother just got a slap on his wrist. Have you thought about what you want him to do?”

“Yes, he’s going to help us get the Vet Center ready. He’ll have to work with us and maybe he’ll get used to us that way,” Blair said. 

“Blair, you’re grasping at straws. He’s a dick. Do you really want to deal with him once a week for two months?”

“Yes, I do. I think it might be good for him and I want to give him a chance.”

“Whatever you decide is fine by me. Now, let’s get to sleep, babe.”

“Night, Jim.”

“Night, Blair. I love you.”

“And I love you.”

_*_

Two months later, Jim and Blair got the building in their name, got the paperwork all filed for Home for a Vet. Blair had named the project this and it seemed to work for the county and the government. They started working on the inside of the building first thing. They contracted work for 25 small units to be built, so that they could house 25 of them. The kitchen was wonderful. Tons of room and cupboards. Anyone that was going to be living there had to take turns cooking and cleaning the kitchen. If you didn’t do the job, you didn’t get to stay. Then they built a fantastic apartment for Henri. It had two bedrooms, living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. It was a lot like the one that Jim and Blair had. Now, Henri didn’t have to pay rent anywhere. He could live there rent free and make money at the same time. 

Jim was standing in the doorway, fixing the front screen door when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned and saw Stephen and asked, “What do you want?”

“I’ve been told I have to work here for eight weeks, once a week. I’m supposed to report to Blair for the jobs I will be doing. I have to work eight hours each time. And you both have to fill out a paper for it each week.”

“Fine, I’ll get Blair.” Jim left the doorway and went inside, not inviting Stephen in. He left him on the porch. 

Blair came out and said, “Hello, Stephen. Welcome to Home for a Vet. Follow me and I’ll tell you what needs to be done today. You’ll be working with Henri Brown.”

“Whatever…”

“Stephen, you had better change your attitude, or we won’t fill out the papers you need and you’ll end up doing a lot more than two months Community Service.”

“Okay, I’m ready to start. Do I have a certain day I have to come in?” Stephen asked. 

“Yes, it’s every Monday. So, you’ll be working here for eight Monday’s. Give me the paper that you need filled out each Monday and at the end of the day, I’ll see how you did and fill it in accordingly.”

“Okay. I’m ready to start.”

Blair smiled to himself. He liked being in charge of Stephen. He could tell him anything he liked and make him do anything, within reason.

Blair took him in and introduced him to Henri and Henri began to show him what they would be doing for the day. Henri said, “You get one hour for lunch and if you’re late, don’t bother coming back.”

“I won’t be late. I can’t afford not to do this right. I lose my job if I don’t finish this CS as told,” Stephen admitted. 

“Good… Then we have an understanding. I’m tolerating you because Blair is my boss and he’s making me. But don’t ever get the impression that I could ever like you,” Henri said. 

“I’m not surprised,” Stephen said under his breath. 

“You have something to say?” H asked him. 

“No, I just want to get started on my CS. I don’t want any trouble.”

Megan Connor walked in about that time and said, “I hear someone needs help with this building and I just so happen to be off work today and thought I’d see if I could help.”

Henri hugged her and said, “This is Stephen and you’re going to be working with him. You’re painting every wall in the place today. Well, okay, maybe not every one. But as quickly as we can.”

“Got it, where are the supplies? We’ll get started.”

“Everything is right here. Rollers, paint brushes, tape, drop cloths and paint. All the rooms are going to be painted beige, so you don’t have to worry about goofing anything up.” Henri showed them exactly where everything was and left them to do their thing. 

When Henri checked on Stephen two hours later, they had already finished painting six of the units. “Hey, you two are really hauling ass. Great job.”

“Thank you, Henri,” Megan called out from on top of the ladder. 

Stephen was working out well. He did exactly as Megan told him to do and didn’t complain about anything. Henri couldn’t have been happier. 

Blair found Stephen talking to Megan in the kitchen while getting a drink of cold water. 

Blair walked in and said, “Stephen, is it set up so that you can only work once a week?”

“I have eight sheets at my apartment. I can work anytime as long as I get the sheets filled out. I’m suspended from my job right now, so if you need me to come tomorrow, I can.”

“We could use you for the next eight days. You got a lot done today and I’m happy with your work. So is Henri. Here is your sheet for today. Henri and I both filled it out. We’ll see you tomorrow at 8:00 sharp,” Blair said. 

“Okay…” Stephen found himself somewhat confused. Why was Sandburg being so nice to him when Stephen had been so hateful to Sandburg? He had eight days to figure it out. 

_*_

Eight days later, it was Stephen’s last day and he was getting really good at fixing things up. He stopped being an asshole and actually smiled at Henri and Megan from time to time. Megan worked at least three days a week, so Stephen liked that. She was good company. Henri on the other hand, hated Stephen. Stephen knew he had good reason, but even Blair was giving Stephen a second chance. But, not Jim or Henri. 

Stephen went to find Blair for his last form, when he overheard Jim say, “Chief, we need to get this place in shape. We’re behind and they’re doing an inspection in five days. We’re never going to make it. We need to hire someone to help.”

Stephen walked in and said, “Jim, I can help you for the next five days. I’d like to. It’s the least I could do.”

“Why would you help us when you hate us?” Jim asked. 

“Have you never done anything stupid in your life? Have you never made a mistake and tried to remedy the situation? Well, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Blair smiled and said, “We can only pay you ten dollars an hour, Stephen.”

Jim wanted to kick Blair for answering him at all. 

“Ten bucks would be great, Blair. Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning at 8:00 sharp.”

“Here is your last form, all filled out and signed by Henri and myself. See you in the morning,” Blair said. 

After he left, Jim said, “What in the hell are you doing? He’s just going to do something hateful, I can feel it.”

“Not me. I feel good every time I’m in the room with him. He’s getting used to me and I don’t bother him like I did in the beginning. Everything is going to be all right, Jim.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jim walked off and wanted to slam the door but knew that would be childish. 

_*_

Jim, Blair, Henri, Megan and Stephen were all there the day the inspectors came. The inspection went much faster then they had thought it would and they passed with flying colors. Now, it was time for decorating and furnishing the building. Then it would have the second inspection for Home for a Vet. 

Stephen walked up to Blair and said, “Do you need help with putting the rooms together?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. We’re supposed to open in two weeks and there is too much to do. But again, I can’t pay you that much. So, you would be doing us a big favor.”

“I would like to see the project finished. So, I’m on board for helping you get to that step,” Stephen explained. 

“Thank you, Stephen. I have to go shopping for furniture tomorrow and Jim can’t go with me. Do you want to go along?” Blair figured this would be a sure fired test. 

“Yes, what time?”

“We’ll start at 9:00 tomorrow. The stores don’t open until then. I’ve got to try and find some investors tonight to help with the cost. Otherwise, Jim and I are going to be eating this.”

“Have you asked my dad? He would gladly give you anything. I could talk to him if you’d like.”

“That would be great, Stephen. You can tell me in the morning when you come. Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” Stephen walked out to his car, happily for one of the first times in ages. 

The following day, it went beautifully. First of all, Stephen had a check from his dad that would buy at least half of the furniture for the place. Then they got a good deal on prices because Stephen knew a place to go. Everything was going well. Stephen hadn’t seen Jim in ages, but hoped he’d see him that night so he could apologize for being such an ass. 

They put all the curtains up, made all the beds, got everything the way it needed to be and then Blair called for the inspection of the finished product. 

They came out that day and it passed with flying colors. They got their certificate to hang on the wall and put the sign up outside the building. 

Blair called Jim and told him to come and see the finished product. Poor Jim had been running the bar all by himself every afternoon and evening because Blair was busy doing all of the work for the shelter. Jim showed up and was wowed as soon as he walked into the living room. Everything was super nice, clean and ready to be in business. Jim was shocked at how much Stephen had helped, also. Jim wasn’t as angry anymore. Maybe Stephen really had changed. 

Blair showed him all the rooms, the office for Henri, the kitchen, the main bathroom on the main floor, the bathrooms on the floors of the units and finally the back yard. They had fixed it up really nice so that the guys could cook outside any time they chose to do that. 

“So, Henri, do you have anyone lined up yet?” Jim asked. 

“About 23 men have been Okayed to move in. They’ve just been waiting for the say so. I will call all of them now and tell them they can move in tomorrow morning. This has been a hard job, but a good job. I’m very proud of all of us.”

Jim smiled. “This is going to be a great place. I can tell. Good luck, Henri and you know where we are if you need help with anything.”

“Thank you, Jim for believing in me. And thank you, Blair for everything you’ve helped me do.”

Jim and Blair both smiled big time. 

Stephen said, “Well, I guess I’ll leave. I’m glad it all went well. You’re doing a good thing here, Jim. I was proud to be part of it.”

“Would you like to come next door and have dinner with us? Henri, you could come, too.” Blair asked. 

Jim didn’t get angry this time. He saw something new in his brother and decided to believe in Blair for a change. Maybe Blair was right all along. He just needed to get used to them. 

“I’m having dinner with my dad. He already asked me over. Sorry. Another time?”

“Yes, we’ll call you and let you know when and where,” Blair said. 

Henri shook Stephen’s hand and said, “You’ve come a long way, Stephen. It looks good on you.”

Stephen smiled all the way out to his car. 

TBC


	11. Shifting Directions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William decides to help Jim and Stephen mend fences, once he gets the okay from Blair. 
> 
> Warnings: Back to happy.

Shifting Directions  
Part 11 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: William decides to help Jim and Stephen mend fences, once he gets the okay from Blair.  
Warnings: Back to happy.  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2650

 

William called Blair at the university and heard, “Sandburg.”

“Hi, Blair, I have a huge favor to ask. You don’t have to go along with it for any reason if you don’t feel comfortable with the idea. I would like to have a dinner with you and Jimmy and invite Stephen also. He’s wanted to talk to Jimmy numerous times, but he chickens out every single time. I think it’s time to mend those fences. What do you think?”

“William, I think part of it is an excellent idea. But, I want to have the dinner. It’ll be on our turf and Stephen will be out of his element. This will be the first time he’s seen his brother in three months. Jim misses Stephen and just doesn’t want to take that first step. He’s a little stubborn, as you well know. What about dinner tomorrow night at our house?”

“Blair, don’t you need to see if Jimmy is okay with it first?”

“No, William. It’s my home, too. And I’m telling you, he’s going to be secretly thrilled to see Stephen. This will be perfect. I’ll have Jim grill Filet Mignon. I know how you Ellison’s love your beef.”

William laughed and answered, “That we do. Okay, what time tomorrow?”

Blair thought for a moment and asked, “How about early? We could eat at five and have dessert at around seven. Does that sound good?”

“That sounds great, Blair. Thank you for taking this over. I just hope Jimmy doesn’t get mad at you.”

“Jim will be fine. We’ll see you and Stephen tomorrow at five. Thank you for the idea, William.”

Blair got off the phone and went and taught his last class of the day. Then he was going to shop for the beef and the dessert makings. Jim’s favorite dessert was Better-Then-Sex-Cake and Blair was making it for tomorrow night. 

Classes went well and before he knew it, Blair was shopping for the planned dinner. While he was getting the dessert items, he called Stephen. 

“Ellison,” Stephen said. 

“Hi Stephen, did your dad call you?”

“Yes, Blair and I want to thank you for doing this. I Hope it doesn’t backfire. Jim has every reason to hate me. So do you. But I’m sure that’s not why you’re calling.”

“Do you prefer chocolate or yellow cake if I was making a cake for dessert?”

“Chocolate, hands down. Oh goody, something else to look forward to. I do love my chocolate desserts,” Stephen said, dreamily. 

“See you tomorrow, Stephen.”

“Bye, Blair.”

Blair put the things back that he had picked up and went with chocolate instead. It was Jim’s favorite too, but Blair preferred the yellow cake mix with caramel topping. Now, Blair picked up a chocolate cake, a jar of chocolate hot fudge, a can of Eagle Brand milk and some white chocolate chips for the top. He went into the freezer department and got the cool whip for the topping, too. Then he realized the white chocolate chips wouldn’t show up on the whip cream. So, he went back to the first aisle and put it back and picked out chocolate mini chips. Just thinking about this dessert, almost put Blair into a sugar coma. Jim was going to be so happy when he saw the fixings for dinner. But when Jim saw the four steaks, it might be a little tricky. Blair sighed and got the potatoes, butter and fresh asparagus. This meal was going to kick ass and Blair was excited. 

_*_

When Blair arrived home, Jim was downstairs, probably doing the books, so Blair put everything away and Jim didn’t see anything. Blair had no classes the next day, so he would have all day to get everything done. Including calming Jim down, if need be. 

Blair started something for dinner and just as he did, Jim came walking through the front door. 

“Hey, Jim.”

“Hey, yourself. I was getting worried. You’re later than usual.”

“I was on the phone making plans with your dad and I had to go to the grocery store for everything we’re going to serve. Guess what I’m making for dessert, big guy?”

Jim grinned and asked, “All right, what has my dad talked you into this time? I don’t get Better-Then-Sex-Cake for just any reason.”

“We’re having your dad and Stephen over for dinner. And before you start throwing a fit, let me tell you why I think this is important…”

Before Blair could finish, Jim was in Blair’s space, pulling him into his arms and kissing Blair like there was no tomorrow. Jim finally pulled away and smiled at Blair. “Thank you.”

“I get the kiss of a life time, and a thank you? Whoa! This is a new world’s record. I’m glad you’re not angry, Jim.”

“I’m quite the opposite. I was going to ask you how to fix this. But I didn’t know how. Leave it to my dad and my lover to fix it for me.”

“I thought it was time that we started going in a different direction with Stephen. And this seemed right. I’m ready and I’m glad that you’re ready, too.”

Jim kissed Blair again. “God, you make me so happy. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Well then, we won’t find out.”

Jim threw back his head and laughed. “Yes, if things could only be that simple.”

“It works for me all the time,” Blair reminded him. 

“What are we having for dinner tomorrow?” Jim asked. 

Blair smiled at the smile that Jim was going to be wearing next. “Filet Mignon.”

Jim did indeed smile big time and asked, “Baked potatoes?”

“Of course, what else would we serve? You have to cook the Filet though. That’s your job. I think everyone eats them medium rare, so you’re in luck.”

“You’re the best, Blair.”

“Oh, I bet you say that to everyone you meet named Blair.” Blair saw the grin on Jim’s face and ran for the bedroom. He knew what was coming next and Blair was thankful for that. Being made love to by a Sentinel was perhaps one of the greatest things Blair had ever had happen to him. 

_*_

At four o’clock the next day, Jim was nervous. Blair wanted to smack him and remind him it was just his little brother, but instead he was kind. 

“Jim, why don’t you have a beer?”

“Will you have one with me?”

“Sure, that sounds good actually. But just one, I have things to do.”

“What do you have left to do?” Jim wondered. The house looked great, Blair looked great and the salad was made. What was left?

“I need to scrub the huge potatoes and wrap them in tin foil to put on the grill. I’m cooking them on the grill with garlic and coarse ground pepper seasoning. They’re going to be great. I’ll even make a few extra, so we can have them for lunch on Wednesday.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea, babe.”

“That’s because I’m always thinking.” Blair stood on tip toes and kissed Jim. 

Jim loved when Blair did that. It was one of those little things that a person loves or hates about a person. All Blair really had to do was yank Jim down a hair and he could reach his lips that way. But Blair always stood on his tip toes and kissed him. Jim wasn’t going to complain at all. 

“Come on, I’ll help you scrub the potatoes, season them and wrap them in tin foil. I’m starving. Ever since you made the cake, I’ve been hungry.”

The men stood side by side in the kitchen until about 4:45. The buzzer rang and Jim instantly got nervous. Blair patted his hand and said, “It’s just Stephen.”

“I know, but I’m nervous anyhow.”

“Go and answer the buzzer, Jim.”

Jim snickered when it buzzed again. His dad was probably wondering what in the hell Jim was doing.

Jim buzzed them up and waited at the door for them to get there. Jim opened it up and found two smiling Ellison’s. This in turn made Jim smile, too.”

Blair came around the corner and said, “Jim, are you going to leave them in the hallway?”

“Sorry, come on in. Welcome to our home, Stephen.”

“Wow, this is really nice. I can see a lot of Blair in this place, but not too much of Jim. Don’t you agree, Dad?” Stephen asked. 

“That’s because Blair did all of the work on the homey touch-ups.”

Blair laughed and held his hand out and said, “Good to see you Stephen.” Blair waited for him to take his hand and shake it, but instead, he hugged Blair. 

“Thank you for arranging this, Blair. Dad said you’re the best and I do believe that to be true.”

“Wait a minute, where is my hug?” Jim whined, making Stephen, William and Blair laugh. Stephen pulled him into a fierce hug and then stepped back and had tears in his eyes. 

Jim was very moved also. He had missed his brother and was glad that they were doing this. 

“Excuse me, do I not get hugs anymore?” William asked. 

Blair laughed and hugged William twice. Then Jim hugged him next, whispering ‘thank you’ in his dad’s ear. 

William said, “Wow, it smells great in hear. Dessert, I would guess?”

“Yes, we’re just putting the baked potatoes on the grill now. Stephen, you have to see our wonderful deck where we do all of our outdoor cooking,” Blair said as he grabbed Stephen’s arm and pulled him outside. Jim followed with the potatoes wrapped in tin foil and put them on to grill.

“Wow, this place doesn’t look that big from the outside, but this is huge.”

“I know. We were surprised with the room we had also. The same thing happened next door with the Home for Vet’s. Don’t you think it’s a lot bigger inside than out?” Blair asked. 

“Oh yeah, that place is huge. On two floors you have everything you need for 25 men. I think it’s great. I saw Henri the other day and he looks like he’s very happy. I’m glad the shelter is working out so well,” Stephen said. 

“It was the best investment Jim ever could have talked me into.”

Jim smiled and said, “I didn’t need to talk very long or hard to you about it. You’re a good soul and knew it was a good plan.”

William came out to the deck and asked, “Are we going to have dinner or chit chat all night long instead?”

Blair, Jim and Stephen all burst out laughing and Jim went to get the asparagus and Filet Mignon ready to go on the grill.

“Stephen followed Jim in and asked, “How do you cook the asparagus on the grill? I’ve never had it grilled.”

“I wrap it in tin foil like this, and add lots of butter, but it has to be real butter. Then I sprinkle it with garlic and course pepper and close up the tin foil. It takes about 20 minutes to cook. It’s delicious. Wait until you taste it. It takes on an entirely different taste when it’s grilled.”

Jim put the asparagus on a platter and then the beef on a platter and said, “Could you carry one of the platters for me?”

“Sure, I’ve got the asparagus. This is going to be fantastic, isn’t it?” Stephen asked. 

“Do you mean dinner or life in general?”

“I mean, life in general. I’m going to have my big brother back in my life and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you for forgiving me, Jim. I really am very sorry for everything I did. Someday I’ll explain to you why I did it.”

“You were afraid of us. I understand. There is no need to explain. The fact that you got over it, is all I need to know.” Jim started out the door carrying the platter with Stephen following close behind, carrying his. 

Jim put the asparagus on first and they all sat and chit chatted for about twenty minutes and then Jim took the vegetables into the house and put them in the oven on a 200 degree heat. He just needed to keep them warm until dinner was done. He then went out and got the meat on the grill and started cooking up a storm. 

About fourteen minutes later, the steaks were in the house. Jim and Blair got everything out of the oven and they all sat down at the table and William asked if Blair could say grace. Of course, Blair couldn’t say no to William. 

“Everyone hold hands and close your eyes while we pray. _Good food, good meat. Good God, let’s eat. Yay, God._ ”

They all began to laugh and William said, “That’s the last time I’m going to ask you to say grace, Blair.” 

_“Sorry William. I could say something nice, but decided on fun instead. Enjoy the meal, everyone.”_

They all talked as they ate and had a wonderful time. Jim and Blair cleared the table when they were all done. Jim smiled at them all and said, “I hope you all saved some room for dessert, because it’s next.” 

“Oh Jimmy, let’s wait for a short while, and let the food settle,” William suggested. 

_Blair said, “Jim is dying for this dessert. He doesn’t care if anyone is ready or not, he is and that’s all that matters when it comes to this cake.”_

Blair started cutting the slices and gave everyone a small piece except for Jim. Jim was getting twice the size they all got. 

William moaned at the first bite, followed by, “This is the best cake I think I’ve ever tasted in my life.” 

Stephen agreed. Jim didn’t stop eating to say anything. They all began to laugh because he was like a mad man, eating. 

“What? What are you laughing at?” Jim wondered. 

“Jimmy, I’ve never seen anyone attack their dessert quite the way you just did. And you finished that huge piece before we even got half-way through our small pieces.” 

“Blair knows I love this cake. It’s my all time favorite. But we never seem to have it anymore. Why is that, Blair?” 

“Jim, it’s because it’s so full of fat and not good for us.” 

“Once a year is probably good enough,” Stephen added. 

“Do we get to take a piece home for tomorrow?” William asked. 

Blair stood up and said, “I’ll put them in containers for you right now. It has to be refrigerated. Don’t forget.” 

Blair got their pieces and put them in Tupperware and then sat back at the table. “Dinner was delicious, Jim. You cooked those steaks, perfectly.” 

William smiled. “He sure did. And the asparagus turned out better then I thought it would. I thought it would be mushy. I don’t care for it when it’s mushy.” 

“I’m glad you liked everything, Dad and you too, Stephen. Thanks for coming for dinner.” 

“Thank you for having us over, Jim. And Blair, thank you for forgiving me, also.” 

“It’s nice to have the family back together again,” William said, happily. 

“Next time, my house,” Stephen said. 

“I didn’t even know you cooked,” Jim said, sounding quite surprised. 

“I didn’t say I was cooking, I can order take-out like the best of them.” 

Everyone laughed, took their coffee and moved into the living room for the rest of the evening. 

William looked around and realized this is exactly how he wanted his sons. Together and happy. And William was so glad that Blair had brought them all together. 

TBC 


	12. Surprising Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How is Henri doing at the shelter? He wants Jim and Blair to know who he is dating and it will be quite a surprise to them. Well, to Jim anyhow.

Surprising Shift   
Part 12 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: How is Henri doing at the shelter? He wants Jim and Blair to know who he is dating and it will be quite a surprise to them. Well, to Jim anyhow.   
Warnings: None   
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2451

 

Blair was teaching at the university while Jim was sleeping in for a change. That was until Jim’s cell went off at 8:30 in the morning. Jim snarled as he picked up the offending phone and barked, “What?”

“Jim, this is Henri. You’re usually up by now. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Stop with the apology, Henri, what’s wrong.”

“No, I’ll call you this afternoon. It’ll wait, Jim. Go back to sleep. I’m sorry, I woke you.”

Jim was sitting up in bed by now and getting angrier as he talked. “Henri, come on over and we’ll have coffee and you can tell me what’s wrong.”

Henri was good at following orders and replied, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Jim got up, put his sleep pants on, a tee shirt, brushed his teeth, combed his hair and started a pot of coffee. Henri was there exactly after ten minutes had passed. Jim almost smiled. 

Jim opened the door wearing a smile, so this relaxed Henri a little bit. “Okay, I got coffee on, now let’s sit at the table and you tell me what’s going on that has you so frazzled.”

“I’m in love and she wants to move into the apartment. We never talked about anything like that, so I didn’t know if I could have someone live with me or not. How do you feel about that?”

“Okay, slow down a little bit, Henri. Who are you in love with? Why is this the first we’re hearing about it?”

Henri shrugged his shoulders and said, “She didn’t want to tell you until we knew we were a sure thing. It’s Megan Connor and she asked if she could move in with me. She loves my place and loves hanging out with the guys at the shelter, so she’s comfortable there. Honestly, I’m shocked you didn’t notice her car out front every night.”

“Megan Connor? Whoa! This is quite a shock. I knew that she was gung ho on helping you get the place ready, but I thought you were just friends.”

Henri smiled, sheepishly. “Started out that way, Jim, but it grew into something else and neither of us could fight it any more. I really do love her.”

Jim got up to get them both a cup of coffee and when he set Henri’s down in front of him, Jim patted him on the back and said, “Congratulations are in order. Good luck with her moving in. That place is your home, Henri, so you don’t have to ask us about family. Don’t you ever have family over? You have that wonderful kitchen and living room, made to entertain.”

“I thought maybe I couldn’t, so I never asked. But Megan has been pushing me to ask you for two weeks. She finally told me she was going to talk to you if I didn’t. That would have been embarrassing, so I decided to talk to you first.”

“I think it’s great, Henri. We’ll help her move in the mornings of the weekend, if you need us to.”

“Actually, she just needs to move her clothes, shoes and make-up over and we’ll be set. She lives in a furnished apartment, now. She gave her notice some time ago, but I kept putting it off. That’s why she was pressuring me. She has no where to go.”

“Why don’t you tell her to move in tonight? Then you won’t have to worry anymore. I’m really happy for you, Henri. Blair is going to be so thrilled.”

“Do you mind if I call and tell him the news? I really like Blair and wanted to tell him myself,” Henri said. 

Jim took a sip of his coffee, looked over the rim and said, “Call him now.”

Henri pulled out his cell and called Blair at the university. “Sandburg.”

“Hi, Blair, it’s me, Henri. I wanted to tell you who is moving in tonight? She decided she couldn’t live without me.”

Henri heard a snicker over the line and then Blair said, “I know it’s Megan. She’s had eyes on you since you worked together getting the shelter done. That’s great, Henri. Did you tell Jim?”

“Yes, I told Jim. He’s the one that told me to call you.”

“After she moves in tonight, you both come over to the bar and we’ll have a drink to celebrate. How does that sound?”

“Thank you, Blair. We’ll do that.”

“I’ve got to get to my class. Talk to you later, Henri.”

“Bye, Blair.” Henri looked over and Jim and said, “You have the best boyfriend.”

Jim laughed. He always laughed when Henri called Blair his boyfriend. “Yes, I do. I’m not going to argue about that at all.”

“Blair invited me and Megan over to the bar tonight to have a celebratory drink with you guys.”

“Good idea, Henri. Now, I’m going back to sleep. You call Megan with the good news. We’ll see you tonight.”

“Thanks for backing me up all the time, Jim.”

“You’re welcome. That’s what friends do for each other.”

Henri gave him a hug and then walked out the front door. Jim shut and locked it and walked back into the bedroom. He undressed once again and was just falling asleep when his phone rang again. He growled once more and asked, “What?”

“Hi, Jimbo. It’s Megan.”

“I knew it was you, Megan because you’re the only one that calls me Jimbo, remember?”

Jim heard a little giggle and then she cleared her throat. “Thank you for being so understanding about me and Henri.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Jim asked is all honesty.

“Henri was afraid that he wasn’t supposed to have any company over, especially women. So, that’s why he didn’t say anything to start with.”

“Are you moving in tonight, Megan?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, more like this afternoon. I’m taking off early and everything. Simon thinks we’re nuts. I don’t think he appreciates that we’re different races. It bothers Henri, but not me. I’m not trying to please Simon, just Henri.”

“He’ll get used to it, Megan. Stop worrying about it. We’re going to see you tonight, did Henri tell you already?” Jim couldn’t remember a time when she sounded so happy or excited. 

“Yes, so we’ll see you tonight. I just wanted to thank you for being a good friend. Bye.”

“Bye, Megan.” Jim closed the line and put the pillow over his head. Now he seemed wide awake and didn’t feel like falling back to sleep. He lay there for awhile and thought about what he had to do at the bar and fell back to sleep. He had slept an entire ten minutes when the phone rang again. 

“Jim, it’s Simon. What do you think about the news with Connor and Brown?”

Jim just sighed and answered, “I’m thrilled for them, Simon. They’ll be a good couple.”

“I hope they don’t plan on children. She’s not a citizen and could take them to Australia if she got mad at Henri,” Simon pointed out. 

“Gosh, I don’t think either of them are planning that far in advance, Simon. And besides, it’s none of our business.”

“I guess. So, you think they’ll do all right?”

Jim sighed again and said, “Stop worrying. They’ll be just fine.”

“Did I wake you up, Jim? You sound irritated,” Simon stated. 

“No, I was just getting up and you know what a grump I am first thing in the morning.”

“Talk to you soon. Bye, Jim.”

“Bye, Simon.”

Jim lay back into the pillow and wanted to scream at something or someone. He started taking deep breaths to calm down and just relax. He didn’t have to get up for another three hours. He could sleep a little, if he could just relax. He laid the phone down on the night stand and pulled the covers back up and got comfortable. He no sooner felt like he might drift off and the phone rang. 

This time, Jim threw the covers off and sat on the side of the bed. He picked the phone up and said, “I thought you were in class.”

“Oh good, you’re up. I was just calling to see if you’re as excited about the news as I am.”

“I’m thrilled, can’t you tell?” Jim growled. 

“Oh shit, I woke you up. I’m sorry. I figured you would still be up after talking to Henri. I’m so, so sorry, Jim.”

“Don’t be sorry; just promise me that no one will call tomorrow.”

“Jim, why do you have the phone in the bedroom, anyway?”

“If something happened to you, I wouldn’t know about it. Besides, Sentinel here. I can hear it out there too.”

“I think it’s sweet that you worry about me, man. Go rest for awhile. I promise I won’t call back. In fact, I’m getting ready to come home.”

“What happened to your class?” Jim asked. 

“Everyone finished their tests and they’re excused for the day. So am I. I need to grade papers tonight at the bar.”

“Wake me up when you get home,” Jim said, with certain huskiness in his tone. 

“You got it, big guy. See you soon.” Blair hung up the phone and smiled. _Hot damn, he was getting lucky today._

_*_

That night at the bar, Jim was busy but heard Henri and Megan come in the front door and turned around to see Blair meeting them and taking them to a table. Jim asked his new part-time bartender if he could watch things while he took a break.

“Hey, boss, this is your place, you make the rules.”

Jim liked the sounds of that and said, “Thanks, Tom.” Jim walked over to where Blair, Henri and Megan were sitting. “What do you need to drink tonight, folks?”

Megan burst out laughing. “I would like a Peach Bellini, if you don’t’ mind.”

“Got it, how about you, Henri?” Jim asked. 

“Surprise me, Jim. I would like beer, but maybe a dark beer. Whatever you bring me is good.”

“Blair, do you want something?” Jim asked. 

“I’ll take a Peach Bellini, too.”

Jim rolled his eyes and walked up to Tom and put the order in. In no time at all, he had all four drinks ready. Jim got a dark beer for him and Henri, and two Peach Bellini’s.

He put it all on a tray and walked over to the table with the drinks. Tom was waiting on people right and left. Jim saw a bunch of new people come in at that very moment. 

“Here are your drinks, guys, but I need to help Tom. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

Blair looked like he wanted to get up and help but Megan touched his hand and said, “Just hold down the fort over here, Sandy. He’ll be back in no time at all.”

And he was. About thirty minutes later, he was done and back at the table. 

“So, did you get all moved in, Megan?” Jim asked. 

“Why yes, Jim, I did. Thank you for inquiring.”

Jim laughed. “I’m glad you two found happiness. It’s important that everyone be happy.”

“Henri’s mom says the very same thing. She’s great. Have you all met, Mama Brown?” Megan asked. 

“I have,” Blair answered. 

“I haven’t had the pleasure.”

“I’ll invite you all over the next time she’s at the apartment. She really likes my job and my new place. She’s secretly thrilled that I’m out of the cop business. She just doesn’t say anything about it.”

“Henri is trying to talk me into a different job. In fact, he would like me to work here. Do you need anyone?” Megan asked. 

Blair smiled and answered, “We could always use a waitress, but we couldn’t pay as much as you were making, so it wouldn’t work out, I’m sure.”

“Let me sleep on it,” Megan replied. 

Jim couldn’t believe that Blair just offered a job to Megan without discussing it with him first. After all, it was Jim’s Place, not Blair’s. 

“Jim, could I talk to you for a minute?” Blair asked. 

Jim followed Blair to the restroom area and said, “What?”

“Don’t you what me. This bar is half my place. Half of my money went into this, too. I have just as many rights as you do. If you don’t like the idea, then say so, but don’t look all butt hurt about it.”

“Sorry, Chief. You’re right and Megan would be a good person to have here. She’s friendly and a good worker. Go ahead and work out the details.”

“Thanks, man. She’ll be great.”

They walked back to the table and Megan said, “I was telling Henri that there is a store next to the bar that is for sale. It looks pretty run down. I would like to open up a little craft store. I love doing crafts and it might do a good business here. I’m not sure. But, I have quite a bit of money set aside to put down on it. I could fix up the apartment above the store and rent it out. What do you guys think?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Jim said. 

“I do too, Megan. You would be close by but not right in Henri’s way. It might work,” Blair said. 

“I would help with the down payment, too,” Henri added. 

“Good, I’ll look into it tomorrow. Thanks everyone. You all have my back and I appreciate it.” Megan looked so happy, but it might have been the Peach Bellini. 

They visited and talked about the shelter for the next two hours. Jim had to get up twice and help Tom. But Jim was fine with that, because he loved to stay busy. 

“Jim and Blair, thank you for having us over. We need to get back to our place and lock up for the night at the shelter.”

“Night, Henri. Night, Megan,” Blair said as they walked to the door. 

“See you tomorrow,” Jim called out over his shoulder. 

Once they left, everyone else started leaving because it was already after one in the morning. Jim closed at two. Blair helped him clean up and get things ready for the next day. Tom took his tips and left for the night at 1:30. 

Jim and Blair got upstairs at 2:30 and were exhausted. It had been a good night, but a long night. Both men knew they were going to sleep well. 

TBC


	13. Shifting Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair are trying to figure out why Megan Connor would give up her job at the station when she would have to go back to Australia since the exchange would be done. Lots of news ahead.

Shifting Up  
Part 13 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Jim and Blair are trying to figure out why Megan Connor would give up her job at the station when she would have to go back to Australia since the exchange would be done.   
Warnings: None  
Rating: Teen  
Genre: Slash   
Word Count: 2515

 

Jim was lying next to Blair at 2:30 in the morning and wasn’t sleeping. He noticed by listening to Blair’s breathing, he wasn’t sleeping either. He decided they might want to talk about some things. 

“Chief, do you find it odd that Megan is thinking about giving up the job at the station? I mean, doesn’t that mean she has to go back to Australia?”

Blair was very comfortable spooned with Jim, but turned around to answer. “I think she has to go back, yes. As far as I understand, the exchange program works that way. I wonder if **she** understands that?”

“Maybe you should call her today and talk to her about it. She seems crazy about Henri and it would be a shame if they sent her back and she wasn’t prepared.”

“I will call her today. That’s a good idea. We can have one of our good old fashioned talks. You know, the ones where she calls me a wanker? She likes to call me that and she thinks I don’t know that it means I’m stupid.”

Gosh, what does she call me?” Jim wondered. 

“I’m not saying.” Blair kissed Jim to keep him from protesting. Blair was now in the mood for some kissing and making out. Blair didn’t have classes in the morning, so he could sleep in with Jim. 

Jim moaned with appreciation when Blair slid his hand into Jim’s boxer briefs. “I love how you take my mind off things, but I still want to know what Megan calls me.”

“Jim, don’t be silly, you won’t remember anything after you come and fall asleep.” 

“Hey slow down, or we’re going to have a mess to clean up,” Jim barked. 

“Are you that warm for my form, babe?”

“I’m always warm for you, Blair.” 

Blair pulled Jim’s briefs off and slid his off too. Then he got on top of Jim and they began to thrust against each other, both moaning by this time. Blair loved sex this way. He liked to see Jim lose complete control so quickly. And it didn’t take long. 

“Jesus, you make me feel good,” Jim shouted as he came. 

“I’ve asked you not to call me Jesus when we’re in bed together.” Blair teased as he continued to hump Jim until he lost it and came onto Jim’s body. This was very messy, but felt super good to both of them. Blair knew they would be getting up and taking a shower in a moment. But instead, he noticed that Jim was starting to fall asleep.

“Hey, Jim. We have to get cleaned up.”

“Chief, I’ll give you a dollar is you wash me off with a wipe from the nightstand.”

Blair laughed. “You are so fucking lazy, Jim.” Blair reached into the night stand and got the wipes and began to clean Jim off and then himself off. Jim was already sleeping. Blair watched him for a little while before he put the wipes back in the stand. Blair loved to watch Jim sleep. He always looked so peaceful and happy. Not that he didn’t look happy when he was awake. Blair smiled at the joke he had just made. Then he snuggled into Jim and was just falling asleep when Jim whispered, “What does she call me?”

“A drongo, sometimes. It’s when you’re acting stupid.”

“Oh, okay. I love you, Blair.”

“And I love you, Jim.”

_*_

Megan was up, on her way to work and ready to face Simon. She knew today was going to be a big day. On her last two days off, she had gotten the last of the paperwork filled out and taken the test to become a citizen. She found it hard to believe that Americans knew all of that stuff off the top of their heads. It was hard and she didn’t think she passed, but she found out she did. She was now an American citizen and so happy about it because she could stay with Henri. She was able to also keep duel citizenship to Australia, so that it would be easier for her when traveling to visit her family. Now, she had to tell Simon the news. She was giving her two week notice and she knew Simon would try and talk her out of it. She had always wanted to open up a little shop in town, and now she was going to have the chance to do it. 

She parked in the garage and was just about to get out when her phone went off. _Who would be calling me this early?_

She answered it, “Connor.”

“Hi Megan, it’s Blair. I wanted to talk to you before you started work. Jim and I are worried about you giving notice to Simon because they’ll probably send you back to Australia. We don’t want to lose a good friend, so we wanted you to think about that.”

“Oh Sandy, you are so sweet. You’re my best mate. So is Jimbo. But neither of you have to worry about it because I took care of some things and became a US citizen. What do you think of that?”

“Megan, when did this happen? We’re going to have a party for you on Monday. I can’t believe you kept that all to yourself. You moved up without telling a soul. You, my dear Megan are a peach.”

“Why thank you. That’s an Aussie term, did you know that?”

“Yes, I actually remember things you tell me sometimes. So, when are you giving notice at the station?” Blair asked. 

“I was on my way when you called. If you let me off here, I can go and take care of business. My gizzard is breaking having to do this, but I’m going to give it a go.”

“Good luck, Megan.”

“Thanks, Sandy. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Megan. Call me tonight.”

“Okay, I will. Tell Jimbo hello for me.”

They both closed their lines and Megan started to the elevator to see Simon. She hoped he was in a good mood. She wished she had her cobber with her. Henri was more than a mate, he was indeed a cobber. It would be easier to take care of if she didn’t have to do it alone. But she knew she was a strong bird and could do it just fine.

She took the elevator up and went right to his office. When she knocked, he looked surprised to see her. “Connor, isn’t today your day off?”

“No, Simon, I had two days off and I’m working today. Unless you want me to take off.”

“What can I do for you, Connor?”

She sat down in front of his desk and looked nervous. This wasn’t a good sign to Simon. 

“Don’t tell me you’re leaving and going back home.”

“Okay. Well, I’m not going back home, but I am leaving. I’m giving my two week notice today. And I hope you’ll understand why I have to leave,” she said. 

“I don’t understand. Connor, you’re here on an exchange. You have to go back home if you leave.” Simon stuck his wet cigar in his mouth and began to chew on it, making Megan almost sick. 

“I wouldn’t have to go back home if I was a citizen of the United States. I have dual citizenship now. I finished it up on my days off. I also moved in with Henri Brown and he asked me to marry him last night.”

“Jesus Christ…When you tell me news, you tell me news. This is good to hear about you not having to leave. But, what can I say to make you stay with us?”

“Simon, I already have my new job lined up. I’m opening up my own store. And on the side, I’m giving self-defense classes for women in the apartment above the store.”

“When you have cards made up, we’ll hand them out to women that are being abused or been sexually molested. You could do wonders with them,” Simon suggested. 

“That’s a good idea, Simon. Thank you for backing me up with this. I’m a little nervous. This is going to be so strange not coming to the station every day.”

Simon smiled. “You can come to the station any time you feel like it. But we’ll still see you on poker night, right?”

“Oh yeah. And now, I can drink because we’ll walk home.”

“I feel like I’m losing my entire team. It’s a sad day for me, even though it’s a good day for you.”

She talked with Simon for about an hour and then went out to tackle her paperwork that she hadn’t finished the other day. 

_*_

When Jim opened up the bar, the first person to come through the door was Henri. 

“Hi, Henri. What are you up to?”

“I was cleaning the building next door out. It’s pretty pigged out and filthy. I wanted to get some of it done before Megan starts in on painting and cleaning. I have some new news about Megan.”

Jim smiled at his friend. “Other then she’s opening a new store, next door to us?”

“You know the apartment above it? Well, we asked a contractor to give us an estimate so he could take down walls that didn’t have to be there and she’s going to teach self-defense classes in the evenings five days a week. She wanted to do something good with her time and thought that might be the thing. Did you talk to Blair this morning?” Henri asked. 

“No, I haven’t seen him all day. He said he had some things to do and left early this morning, why?”

“He talked to Megan this morning and she told him her news. He must be saving it for her to tell you, I would guess.”

Jim looked confused. “There is more news then what we’ve been talking about?”

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but act surprised if she tells you, all right?”

“So, tell me.”

“She’s an American citizen now. She passed her test yesterday and she’s giving notice today at the station. And one more little piece of news that Blair doesn’t know yet. I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”

Jim pulled Henri into a giant hug and held on for a long while. “This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time, Henri.” He pulled back and saw how excited Henri looked and this made Jim even happier. 

“I have one question though. I would like you to be my best man and Megan wants Blair to be her Maid of Honor. She’s going to ask him the next time she sees him. What do you think? We plan to get married as soon as possible.”

“Do it on a Monday or Tuesday so we can have the reception here. We’ll have it catered by this friend of my dad’s.”

“That sounds great, except she already picked the date and it’s on a Saturday. I’m sorry, Jim.”

“Then we’ll just have to close for the night. What time do you plan on getting married?” Jim wondered. 

“In the morning. She has a friend that marries people, although, my mama will want a Baptist preacher to do the ceremony. Do you think Megan would mind?”

“I wouldn’t mind, but she might have her heart set on something already. You’ll have to ask her, Henri.”

“I’m so excited. We’re going to be married in a month and a half. She wants to go somewhere for a honeymoon but I told her that I can’t leave the shelter for a week.”

“Don’t be silly, Henri. Of course you’ll leave. I’ll have Blair take over while you’re gone. How is that?”

“Everything is going so fast, Jim. I’m a little nervous.”

“Then slow things down. You can always shift it up as time goes on. But keeping it even is even better. If you need anything, you let me know.”

“I need a good place to get tuxes. Do you know of a good place that rents them?” 

“I’ll buy you one for part of your wedding present. And Blair can get the dress for Megan. How does that sound?” Jim asked. 

“I’m getting a little less nervous now that you’re helping me cope with things. Thanks, Jim. You’re the best. And I’ll try and get Megan to stop calling you and Blair by the wrong names.”

“Oh don’t be silly. It’s a term of endearment from her and I’ve grown quite accustomed to it. Blair likes the way she says his name, also. Don’t worry about it, Henri.”

_*_

Megan was on her way home and called Blair. He was on his way home, also. 

“Sandburg.”

“Hi, Sandy, what are you doing? Are you sitting down?”

“Hi, Megan, yes, I’m sitting down because I’m driving.” He said, laughing. 

Megan smiled and said, “So am I. Guess who asked me to marry him last night? And guess who said, yes? And guess who is going to be my Maid of Honor?”

Blair snickered and said, “Well, I know it was Henri who asked you, I believe you said yes but I have no idea who your Maid of Honor is going to be.”

“It’s you, you drongo. You’re going to be my Maid of Honor. Will you? It won’t embarrass you will it? Henri is going to ask Jimbo today to be his Best Man.”

“How cool. We’ll both be in the wedding. I like that. Do I have to wear a dress, Megan?”

She burst out laughing and said, “No, but you do have to wear a tux.”

“When is the big day?” Blair asked. 

Megan squealed with joy and said, “In exactly a month and a half.”

“Wow, are we having the reception at the bar?” Blair asked. 

“No, because it’s on a Saturday. I can’t expect you boys to close for us.”

“What time is the wedding going to be?”

“Probably about 9:00 in the morning, why?”

“That will give us plenty of time for your reception, Megan. We don’t open until four and the patrons will be thrilled to take part in your reception anyhow.”

“Could you possibly cover for Henri for five days while we go on our honeymoon?” Megan asked, sweetly. 

“Count on it. Jim and I will just sleep over there while you’re gone. Don’t you worry about a thing.” 

“I’ll see you later tonight and we’ll discuss some more about the wedding. Talk to you soon, Sandy.”

“Thanks for asking me to be your Maid of Honor. I’m totally hyped up about that. See you tonight.”

They both closed their phones wearing big smiles on their faces. 

It was great to have good friends. 

TBC


	14. Happily Shifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues with news about Henri and Megan’s wedding. Jim and Blair are having a lot of fun planning it. 
> 
>  
> 
> Warnings: Sappy (Is that a warning?)

Happily Shifting

Part 14 of the Shifting Series

By PattRose

 

 

Summary: The story continues with news about Henri and Megan’s wedding. Jim and Blair are having a lot of fun planning it.

Warnings: Sappy (Is that a warning?)

Rating: Teen

Genre: Slash and Het (Well, H & M are getting married.)

Word Count: 2953

 

 

 

 

Henri woke up with his soon to be wife hanging all over him in the bed. It was a nice feeling. Henri was wild about Megan and especially since they had agreed on everything for the wedding. Henri had asked if they could have a minister from the Baptist church and she agreed. She wanted to have Mama Brown happy with her son and his new wife. She agreed to go on a Mexican Cruise for five days and they were both excited about that. The best part about that was Jim’s dad was paying their way, telling them it was compensation for all of their hard work at the shelter. All Henri really had to come up with were the tickets for the flight to San Diego and back again. It wasn’t bad at all. They both agreed on the photographer. She was Rafe’s sister and heard she did excellent work. Megan wanted to give her a chance to prove to everyone at the station that she was good. Megan went shopping with Mama Brown for a new dress for the wedding and Megan paid for everything Mama chose that day. Henri couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten in asking Megan to marry him. It was the smartest move he had ever made. Megan also agreed to have the reception at Jim and Blair’s bar, with a catering service that Stephen Ellison suggested. They were very expensive, but Stephen said they were worth it. Henri noticed that Megan was starting to wake up because she was moving, making Henri hard as a rock in the process. When her leg rubbed up against his hard cock, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Henri knew from the look that they were off and running.

 

 

_*_

 

 

A huge package came in the mail that afternoon, making Henri wonder what Megan’s parents had sent for the wedding. They were coming to the states later, since they couldn’t make it for the wedding. Simon was walking Megan down the aisle and giving her away. Henri decided he would call Megan and see what she was doing.

 

 

“Megan’s World, can I help you?”

 

 

“Hi, Megan. Yes, you can help me. We got a huge package from your parents today and I wondered if you were expecting anything.”

 

 

“I am. They sent us new luggage, so we’ll be set for the trip. I can’t wait to get off today and see what they look like. Mum said that she got something you could live with, too.”

 

 

“That was nice of her. Golly, we’re getting all of these wonderful things in the mail from your family and none of them are even coming. I feel bad taking the gifts when they can’t be here with us.”

 

 

“My family will be coming later, so stop worrying about it. Henri, did you go through everything with Sandy today? You said you needed to show him the ropes. Did you, show him?”

 

 

“Yes, Meggie, I did. And he’s a quick learner. The guys here are all excited about taking advantage of him while I’m gone,” Henri teased.

 

 

Megan laughed and said, “I think Sandy knows a little more then they give him credit for.”

 

 

“Not to mention, Jim is going to be here most of the time, too. We have five lovely days together. Actually, with traveling it’s seven.”

 

 

“I can’t wait, Henri. It seems like it’s taking forever.”

 

 

“Megan, I feel like the time is flying by. How funny that we see it differently.”

 

 

“Are all of the arrangements made for the caterers? I want everything to turn out perfect, including the food. Who is making the cake again?”

 

 

“The bakery that is four doors down from us is making it, Megan. I think you need a nap. Do you want to close the store and come and sleep with me?” Henri teased.

 

 

“I think it’s great that we got almost everything from people on our block. The decorations are all from the Hallmark store down the street. They were so good to us and gave us that big discount. We’ve been very lucky, Henri. Oh, a customer just walked in. I have to go. See you tonight.”

 

 

Henri hung the phone up and smiled. She was like on speed all the time. She had such energy and of course, he was laid back, so they were perfect for each other.

 

 

Henri started making a list of things he needed to get for the pantry in the kitchen. It would make the day go faster between the list and the actual shopping.

 

 

_*_

 

 

Jim came back from the Hallmark store and looked for Blair. Blair was in the kitchen behind the bar.

 

 

“Hey you, what are you up to?” Jim asked.

 

 

Blair looked over and saw all of the bags in his hands and asked, “What are you up to? That’s the important question. What is all this?”

 

 

“It’s more decorations for the bar. I want everything to be perfect, you know? And they gave me a wonderful discount since we live and work in the neighborhood. This is a great little area to live and work in.” Jim smiled as he started putting things away.

 

 

“You know, Jim, you never charge them full price for their drinks either. We treat them just as good. I think you might have forgotten that.”

 

 

“You’re right. We all take care of each other. And Bill told me that he loves that we opened the shelter next door. One of the clients is his brother. They’ve been trying to get him off the streets for years, but couldn’t do it. He’s thrilled with the place and thinks we’re doing a good job,” Jim said.

 

 

“It’s nice to hear things like this from time to time. I’m glad his brother is doing better. Sometimes they don’t do that well with family, but get much better with a little help from strangers. Either way, I’m glad he’s doing well.”

 

 

“Did Henri show you what you need to do for the week over at the shelter, Blair?”

 

 

“Yes, he must have showed me three times. I swear, it’s like they are his children or something. He’s writing up a list of things for me so I won’t forget, like I could forget after three times.”

 

 

Jim laughed long and hard. “He’s just nervous. We can’t ask for more from an employee then to love his job and his clients. Right?”

 

 

“Yes, but the whole idea was ours. We know how to do it. We trained him. I think he forgets that he didn’t start the place,” Blair said, laughing along with Jim.

 

 

“In two short weeks, they’re getting married and the next thing you know, they’ll be starting a family. Do you think he’ll want to give up the job when that time comes?” Jim wondered.

 

 

“Their apartment is plenty big for children. And the back yard is wonderful. Those clients would be helping them right and left. I do believe that Henri will be here until he dies.”

 

 

“Well, I sure don’t want to think about him dying, but I do like the idea of him being here forever. I was worried about them moving,” Jim said.

 

 

“Jim, Megan opened a store next to us. Why would she move from her prime spot?”

 

 

“That’s true, babe. Would you like to help me get ready to open up for the day?”

 

 

“Why Jim, I thought you would never ask,” Blair teased as he started getting things set to open the doors for the day.

 

 

_*_

 

 

**The Wedding**

 

 

Henri was driving Jim batty. He was so nervous and bugging the shit out of Simon and Jim.

 

 

“Henri, you’re just getting married, you’re not killing someone. Calm down,” Simon suggested.

 

 

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Why does Blair get to be over at my house and I have to stay here?” Henri whined.

 

 

“Because, you can’t see Megan before the wedding. Now stop your complaining, Henri. Focus on your honeymoon,” Jim advised.

 

 

“Your dad was so nice to give me the week paid off and a trip for our honeymoon.”

 

 

“He’s a nice guy, plus he loves the idea behind the shelter. He said it’s because I’m a veteran, too.”

 

 

“He must be so proud of you, Jim. By the way, you and Simon look very handsome in your tuxes.”

 

 

“Why thank you, Henri,” Simon said, smiling.

 

 

Jim smiled too and said, “You’re still not going to see her before the wedding.”

 

 

“You remember where the church is right?” Henri asked.

 

 

Jim started to laugh. “Henri, you’re going to be with us, so even if I did forget, you’re not going to.”

 

 

“There is that,” he answered, sheepishly.

 

 

“Would you like something to drink or eat, Henri?” Simon asked.

 

 

“No, I just want to get to the church. Could we go now?”

 

 

“Only if you want to be there two hours early, Henri,” Jim joked.

 

 

“It’s taking forever. I want to have a wife and right now.”

 

 

Both Simon and Jim burst out laughing and hugged Henri.

 

 

“Would you like to play some cards to pass the time?” Jim asked.

 

 

Henri’s eyes lit up. “That sounds fun. Let’s play some poker.”

 

 

So, that is what they did for the next hour and a half. Then they stopped, got ready and got into Jim’s SUV.

 

 

Henri asked, “Jim, did you remember the ring?”

 

 

“Yes, Henri, I have Megan’s and Blair has yours.”

 

 

“Good, that’s good. I’m so nervous. Why am I so fucking nervous, guys?”

 

 

“You’re getting married. It’s nerve wracking. Jim and I didn’t do it too well, you go ahead and show us up, okay?”

 

 

Henri gave them both a huge smile. “I’m never leaving her. She’s everything I ever wanted.”

 

 

“How is her business doing, Henri?” Simon asked.

 

 

“Actually, she’s doing quite well. And the classes she teaches at night are almost all filled up. It’s amazing how many women wanted to get tougher. She’s been so happy with both places doing that well. The other day I walked in to take her some lunch and she was painting a bird house for us. She loves her craft store and makes things for the guys all the time. She made each of them a jewelry box of sorts. You know, for a man. I swear, I don’t know how she comes out ahead, but she does.”

 

 

“I’m so glad to hear she’s doing that well, Henri. We haven’t seen her for three weeks at poker night. She’s going to have to switch that up somehow, so that we can see her now and then,” Jim said.

 

 

They got to the church and saw all of the cars there already and Henri got even more nervous. “Have I mentioned how much I hate standing in front of crowds?”

 

 

Simon smiled and patted him on the back. “You’ll be fine. You’re going to have Jim with you, so just lean on him if you have trouble. He’ll hold you up.” Then Simon burst out laughing, not making Henri feel better at all.

 

 

Jim got serious and said, “Henri, I’m here for you. If I have to hold you up, I will. And that’s no joke. This is an important day, so try and calm down a little bit. We want Megan to be as happy as she has a right to be.”

 

 

“You’re absolutely right, Jim. This is our big day and we both need to be happy. I’m going to be happy if it kills me.”

 

 

Simon hugged him hard and said, “Once you see your beautiful wife walk up the aisle, you’ll calm right down, won’t he Jim?”

 

 

“He sure will. Now, let’s get in there and take our places, so the minister doesn’t think we left him alone.”

 

 

The three men walked in the door, but Simon left their side to walk into the bridal room off the entryway. Henri tried to look and Jim smacked him on the butt. “No fair, looking ahead of time.”

 

 

Henri laughed all the way up to the front of the church. The preacher was standing there looking happy and said, “Good to see you, Henri.”

 

 

Henri looked out into the pews and saw his mom and William in the first row. This calmed him down a little bit. He waved at both of them. They smiled and waved back. Jim thought it was one of the cutest things, ever.

 

 

The church filled up rather quickly and Rafe was taking everyone to their seats. He was proud to be an usher for Henri.

 

 

Before long, the music started playing and Blair walked down the aisle like a bridesmaid should walk and it made Jim snicker. Then Henri laughed quietly with him and before long, the preacher did, also.

 

 

Then the main music started and Henri got his first look at Megan Brown. _Wow, that has a nice ring to it._ She looked gorgeous and even Blair and Jim got misty eyed when she got up there.

 

 

No one had seen Megan happier. This was a good thing to see on a wedding day. The preacher started the ceremony as soon as Megan stepped up next to Henri. Henri wanted to kiss her in the worst way, but knew that wasn’t going to happen. He had to play by the rules for this wedding and make it perfect.

 

 

The preacher got to the part about the rings and Jim handed Henri the ring for Megan and Blair handed Megan the ring for Henri. Again, everyone was misting up. The preacher said all the right words and finished with you may now kiss the bride. Henri gave her a sweet kiss that made Megan start to cry. He held her close and asked her to just be happy. She stopped crying and did exactly that. They walked down the aisle together and out the door to the limousine waiting for them on the curb. Henri figured that was Jim’s idea and Henri loved him for it. They got in and there was champagne on ice, with two glasses waiting for them.

 

 

“Henri, this is wonderful, thank you.”

 

 

“Don’t thank me. I think it was Jim and Blair.”

 

 

“It doesn’t matter who thought of it. I love it. Let’s drink my husband.”

 

 

“Okay, my darling wife.”

 

 

They kissed some more and then had some champagne and rode all the way over to Jim’s Place for the reception. When the limousine dropped them off, Jim was already there waiting for them. He hugged and kissed Megan, again and said, “Mrs. Brown, welcome to your new life.”

 

 

“Same life, Jimbo, just different name.” She kissed Blair next and they were off talking to everyone that was already there.

 

 

Henri leaned in to Megan and asked, “How did everyone get to the bar ahead of us?”

 

 

“Henri, we were in the limousine for almost 45 minutes. Didn’t you notice?”

 

 

“Megan, when I’m with you, time stands still.”

 

 

“Oh my God, you are so romantic today. I love you, Henri.”

 

 

“And I love you.”

 

 

They talked to everyone and it was agreed on ahead of time that the gifts would be opened by Megan and Henri that night in their apartment. So, they were able to eat, visit and just plain party with everyone until about 3:00. Then they bid everyone farewell and went to their home. The reception was still on, but without Megan and Henri present. Jim opened the bar to patrons and they enjoyed the food along with everyone else. Rafe, Simon and Blair took all the presents up to Jim and Blair’s place for later. There were so many presents that it took forever to get them all up there.

 

 

At about ten that night, the phone rang and Jim answered it. “Jim’s Place, may I help you?”

 

 

“Hey, Jim, Megan said that she has a key to your place and we’re supposed to open presents up there. Are you sure about that?”

 

 

Jim smiled. “Yes, I’m sure. Now, get on up there and do your thing. Don’t forget to write down everything and who it’s from.”

 

 

“Oh yeah, I guess that would be good to do.”

 

 

“Night, Henri.”

 

 

“Thanks, Jim.”

 

 

Jim went back to getting the bar back in pristine condition as the night wore on. Jim hated a mess, so Blair was helping him clean everything. Even Simon was pitching in.

 

 

Finally at 2:00 Jim closed the bar and Simon left, too. As soon as they got upstairs, they saw all of the gifts were gone and no mess was left behind at all.

 

 

“It was a great wedding wasn’t it?” Blair asked.

 

 

“Yes, it was beautiful and it moved me to tears a number of times. The reception was even perfect. I’m so happy for them. What time do we take them to the airport tomorrow?”

 

 

“Your dad is taking them since it’s so early. He volunteered and I let him. We don’t want to get up at 5:30 in the morning, right?”

 

 

“You are so right, Blair.” Jim pulled him in for a kiss and said, “Someday, I hope we have a ceremony, too.”

 

 

“I do too, Jim. One day it’ll happen. Wait and see.”

 

 

The two men walked into their bedroom, got ready for bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

 

 

Friends are the greatest thing in the world to have, whether they are your mates or not.

 

 

TBC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	15. Night Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> : Jim and Blair are finally back in their own bed and home, once Megan and Henri get back from Mexico.

Night Shift  
Part 15 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Jim and Blair are finally back in their own bed and home, once Megan and Henri get back from Mexico.  
Genre: Slash-Established Relationship  
Warnings: none  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 1580

 

When Jim picked Megan and Henri up at the airport, he was never so happy to see anyone in his life. Jim missed his bed. Jim missed his apartment and missed just spending quality time with Blair. Now that Megan and Henri were back, Jim knew that things would get back to normal. It was almost two o'clock when he picked them up and knew he had to open the bar at four, so Jim was on a mission. 

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you're trying to get rid of us as soon as you can," Megan teased. 

"I'm just trying to get things done so I can open the bar at four o'clock. It's been a long week, taking care of both places. So, how was the cruise?" Jim asked. 

Henri was about to burst with news about the cruise. So, for the next hour, Henri told Jim every single thing they did on the ship. (Within reason.) Megan talked about the delicious food that they had every night and day. All in all, it sounded like both of them had the time of their lives. 

"Thanks so much, Jim, for taking care of our businesses while we were gone," Henri said. 

"I second that, Jimbo. It was so relaxing and wonderful. It was good to get away, but we're looking forward to being home again. I miss teaching my self-defense classes."

"You got about twenty calls for appointments for the newest self-defense class. I left all of the info on a tablet near the phone. You're going to have a huge class this time. Do you charge enough to make it worth your while?" Jim wondered. 

"Yes, I charge just enough. I wanted to give back to the community, but also help to make ends meet for us. So, it's just perfect. And Henri does great with his job. We're both so happy."

Jim smiled and said, "I'm glad you're back. I missed Blair. We didn't have much time alone. He stayed at your house and I showed up every morning at about three a.m. Then he was gone by 8:00 for classes. We're both tired. But, we're also glad that we could do it for you both."  
Jim parked in the parking lot next to the bar and helped Megan and Henri take their luggage into their home. Once he was done with that, he went over to the bar and opened up for the day and evening. 

All of the evening regulars were asking where Blair was at. They knew that he was supposed to be back at the bar that night. Everyone missed Blair, not just Jim. But then again, everyone wasn’t in love with Blair and missing him, either. At 9:00 that night, Jim was officially worried. He went back to the storage room to get some more soda cylinders when he heard a big uproar and figured Blair was finally there. He walked out smiling, when he heard Blair’s voice, talking to everyone he came in contact with. Jim walked into the bar, grabbed Blair, hugged him and then pulled him even closer for a very nice kiss. 

Everyone in the bar was hollering and whistling. That’s one thing Jim liked about the bar, they could be themselves. If people didn’t like them being gay, they could go to another bar. Even the cops that were always there, didn’t mind Jim and Blair together. 

Blair looked up at Jim with a huge smile on his face and said, “Somebody missed me.”

“You bet your life, I did. Where have you been and why didn’t you call?” Jim asked. 

“I did call and left a message on your cell. Where is your cell phone?”

Jim looked a little embarrassed for making such a big deal out of nothing. “Oh shit, I must have left it in the car after I picked up Henri and Megan. I was worried, too. I didn’t even think about my cell. I always think you’ll call the bar if you can’t reach me.”

“Jim, I had a meeting with parents about their child that is failing class. It was important, but I did call,” Blair reminded him.

“Did you have a good meeting at least,” Jim asked as he started waiting on customers again. 

“No, it sucked. They accused me of doing something horrible. Their daughter said I made a pass at her and that I would fail her if she didn’t give in to my needs.”

Jim looked shocked. “Holy shit. Are you okay? I know how wild you are about your students and to have one turn on you is awful. What happened at the end of the meeting?”

“They brought the dean with them and I was put on suspension until they can investigate. So, looks like I’ll be working the night shift with you for a while. They’ll take their sweet time and I’ll be out of work without pay that entire period.”

“We’ll call my dad in the morning for the name of his lawyer. He’s got a good one and we’ll fight this, babe.”

“We don’t need a lawyer yet, Jim. Let’s wait and see how it goes first.”

“You’re the boss, Blair. Tell me if we need to call him.”

Blair took a look around the bar and saw it needed some attention. “Jim, those people in the far corner haven’t been waited on yet. Let me go and get their order.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Jim went back to work because he knew that Blair was upset and didn’t want to talk about it then. Jim would baby him once they got upstairs.

_*_

After closing, Blair and Jim walked up the stairs to their apartment and Jim asked, “You tired, Blair?”

“Exhausted. I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Jim, I’m worried. This girl was so convincing that even I believed her.”

“Are they going to ask the other students? Who and what are they going to investigate?” Jim wanted to know. 

“That’s just it, Jim. I have no idea. They didn’t tell me. They asked all of the questions that they needed for the time being and said the rest was up to my class. What if no one ever noticed that she wasn’t a good student? It sucks.”

Jim kissed him and held him close. “I’m really sorry, Blair.”

“As I said before, it might work out nicely because we’re going to be working together non-stop until I get called back to work. If I get called back to work.”

“They’re not going to believe the little witch over you. You’re like the number one teacher at Rainier. So, stop worrying right now.”

Once in their bedroom, Jim made sweet love to Blair because he needed it gentle and sweet. Then Jim held him all night long while he tossed and turned. This was going to be a long suspension.

_*_

**Two Weeks Later**

Jim was in heaven having Blair by his side every day and every night. But Jim also knew that it wasn’t Blair’s cup of tea to be with Jim all the time. In fact, Blair was showing signs of getting sick of Jim. Which scared Jim to no end. He knew that Blair still loved him, but he also knew that Blair was miserable. 

They were getting things ready in the bar when Blair’s phone went off. He answered as quickly as he could, because he knew that it might be the end of the investigation. 

“Professor Sandburg? This is Dean Phillips. I just wanted to let you know that we finished the inquiry and you’re all cleared. That young lady has been suspended from school and her parents were quite upset and embarrassed when they found out about her doing this to you.”

“Dean Phillips, thank you so much for letting me know. I can start back tomorrow?” Blair asked. 

“Yes, in fact, you could start back tonight if you have some things to do.”

“Thank you, Dean Phillips. I won’t let you down.”

Blair hung up the phone and jumped into Jim’s arms. Jim knew he would belong to the university again and he’d be back working the bar by himself, most of the time. But he tried to show excitement rather than disappointment. Jim knew he was a grown man and could run the bar by himself.

“I’m going to cut back on some of my classes, Jim. I like being with you in the evenings. I’m just going to teach the morning classes and have early afternoon meetings with the students. That way you and I can run the bar together. I noticed how much you seem to enjoy having me around and I like that feeling, a lot.”

“I would love to have you working with me in the evenings. I missed you big time when you worked for Henri. And then you were busy with school again, so I sort of like having you to myself.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll talk to the dean tomorrow.”

Jim pulled Blair in for another kiss. “I love having you around for the night shift, Blair.”

“Glad to hear it, Jim. I love you, too.”

TBC


	16. Shifting Into Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair decide to give six underprivileged boys a camping experience they’ll never forget. They will take them to the gorgeous cabin and entertain them with swimming, boating, fishing and basketball. Blair has to play some basketball.

Shifting into Camping  
Part 16 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Jim and Blair decide to give six underprivileged boys a camping experience they’ll never forget. They will take them to the gorgeous cabin and entertain them with swimming, boating, fishing and basketball. Blair has to play some basketball.   
Warnings: None  
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 3403  
Notes: This idea was given to me by Helena. She is so good at giving me ideas. We both like the idea of Jim and Blair having children, but not in this universe. Children being raised in a bar wouldn’t work for me. So, instead they’ll do this. Thank you, Helena for being a good friend and always so helpful. 

 

Megan called Blair and waited for him to answer, smiling the entire time. 

“Sandburg.”

“Hi Sandy, I have something I want to talk to you about. Could I come over and talk to you and Jimbo before you open shop with the bar?”

“Yes, come over. We’re already in the bar, so get your butt over here.”

Blair heard a small knock on the front door and saw it was Megan. He opened it and hugged her. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, but I have something to talk to you and Jim about. It’s important.”

Jim came around the corner and hugged her. “So, what’s so important?”

“You guys like kids, right?” she asked. 

Blair just stared at her oddly and she gasped. “Oh no, not me. I just wondered if you guys like kids. Especially around the age of eleven to seventeen.”

“Yes, we loved seeing Daryl grow up and go on camping trips and everything. We love Daryl, why are you asking us this?” Blair wondered. 

“I have six moms in my self-defense class and they all have young boys between those ages and all of their classmates are going on camping trips and these moms can barely afford my class, let alone a camping trip. So, I wondered if you would be interested in taking six boys up to your cabin for a week in the next month or so. I would run the bar for you while you’re gone. Between me and Henri, we could do it. And I thought I might ask your dad if he’s like to help too. These boys will never, ever get to go camping. And if not a week, how about three days? What do you think? I know their moms and they are wonderful mothers, but they make small wages and couldn’t help with something fun for their sons.”

Blair was in bounce mode. “Jim, this would be so fantastic. We could take the six boys up for a Monday and Tuesday and come back on Wednesday, so we don’t have to have anyone cover the bar for us. They would have such fun and I think we would too. But we need to get a basketball hoop before we leave. We could take two cars up with three boys in each. Lots of food and drink and have a blast. Oh, Megan, I can’t believe you gave us this opportunity. We know we can’t raise a child in a bar atmosphere, but we could do this and we would be so good at it.”

“Megan, have you met the boys? They aren’t like juvenile delinquents are they?” Jim asked. 

“They brought all of the kids last week and they are really nice boys. They called me ma’am and everything. They all do well in school, just have no money for fun things. And if you liked the kids, you could do something once a month with them. Like take them to a movie or out to eat. Their moms would be so thrilled. None of them have dads in their lives.”

Jim was quiet for a moment and then said, “Tell them to bring their kids to the next class so we can meet them. They need to know that’s we’re gay and they may not like that.”

“I already told them about you and Sandy. Jimbo, they are really nice kids. Just poor.”

“Okay, we’ll do it,” Jim blurted out. 

Blair hugged Jim hard and said, “Thank you, Babe.”

“We’ll close early on next Sunday night and leave at five in the morning on Monday. We’ve got plenty of room, so there is no problems with that. Then we don’t have to leave until Wednesday morning. I think that’s better than nothing, don’t you, Chief?”

“They’ll love it. I wish we could make it more like four days, but two will have to do,” Blair said, wistfully. 

Jim pulled him back into his arms and said, “We can close down from Wednesday to Friday if you want. We’re doing really well, so we don’t have any money worries. They would probably enjoy five days a lot more than two.”

“Would you like to meet the boys tomorrow night at my loft, upstairs?” Megan asked. 

“Yes, Megan, set it up and we’ll leave Tom at the bar for about an hour. Or, we can go one at a time,” Jim suggested. 

“I think they should meet you together, Jimbo.”

“Okay, just give us a call when we can come over and meet them. And just because we think it’s way cool, doesn’t mean they will. We’re talking five days with two perfect strangers. They might be a little leery of us.”

Blair said, “I think they’re going to love us and they’ll love the idea of a week away.”

Megan smiled at both men and knew they were the best role models these boys could possibly have. “I’ll call you tomorrow when they get there. I’m going to talk to the moms tonight, but we’ll let the boys decide tomorrow.”

Jim and Blair both hugged Megan before she left and then opened up the door for business at the bar. Jim could see how excited Blair was. Maybe Blair really wanted children and Jim had never given him a fair chance buying the bar and all. 

“Chief, did you want to have children?”

“No matter what, I just couldn’t get pregnant,” Blair teased. 

“I’m serious, Blair. I feel like I might have cheated you out of something.”

“Jim, you didn’t cheat me out of anything. Actually, I would rather have someone else’s child for a few days then my own. We haven’t got the time. And if you’re going to have a family, you need to make the time. Jim, I like helping older kids. We could do this all year. Not just those six boys, but call the school and see if they need anything like that. It doesn’t have to be just the summer or spring. We can take guys camping in the fall and winter, too. We’re going to make this work.”

Jim hugged Blair just as some customers walked into the bar. “Oh, geeze, they’re hugging already,” Bob said, happily. 

“Hi Bob. We’re going to have the bar closed next week. We’re giving a camping trip to some underprivileged boys and we’ll be gone until that Saturday,” Blair explained. 

“This is wonderful news. You guys are so good for the community. This area used to be awful and now it’s like new again. Did I tell you that my wife is going to take classes from Megan next store?”

“Bob, that’s great. You should always learn self-defense,” Jim said. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean the self-defense class. Megan is having a painting class for all of the women in the neighborhood. They are all thrilled about it. You brought life back into our little part of town. We could never thank you enough.”

Blair walked over with Bob’s beer and said, “I heard from Henri that you helped him fix something at the shelter the other day. That’s really nice. We would like to pay you for that. The shelter is funded, so it has money in the account.”

“Oh don’t be silly, Blair. I loved helping Henri. He’s the best and the men at the shelter help all of us out in one way or another. This part of town, is now like a little city. And I for one am very grateful for that,” Bob said. 

Jim pounded Bob on the back and said, “It was always here, we just needed to work together.”

Jim and Blair went back to work and started waiting on everyone. Blair went into the kitchen and made some snacks and brought them out for the evening. They were always busy between four and six. Jim liked them to have something in their stomachs to soak up some of the alcohol. Hence, the snacks.

*

**The following night**  
Jim answered the phone in the bar and said, “Jim’s Place, may I help you?”

“Hi, Jimbo. The ladies are waiting for you and Blair. The kids are all here and anxious to hear what we have in store for them,” Megan said, happily. 

“Okay, we’ll be there in about five minutes.”

Jim grabbed Blair and said, “It’s time. Tom are you sure you’re okay to work all alone?”

“Geeze, Jim, this is one of the quieter times of the night, so stop worrying. Go and get your errand taken care of. I’ll see you in an hour or so,” Tom assured Jim. 

Jim and Blair walked up to the door on the outer side of the building on the second floor. Jim knocked and waited nervously. Six children were a lot different than one.

Megan opened the door, smiling like crazy and said, “We had to tell them. They thought they were in some kind of trouble. We didn’t want them having anxiety attacks, so we told them about the camping trip with you guys and they are very excited to meet you.”

All six of the boys were standing at attention, as if they were in trouble. “Hello, I’m Jim Ellison and this is Blair Sandburg. We’re the ones that want to take all six of you camping. Now, let’s meet you all first.”

The first boy stepped forward and said, “My name is Joe and I’m 16. I’m the oldest of all of the guys. So, if you need help with them, I’m your guy.”

Blair smiled and said, “We want you to have a good time too. You’re not going to be in charge of anyone. We are. “

“My name is Tony and I’m 14. I’m really looking forward to going camping with both of you.”

The next boy stepped forward and said, “I’m Daniel. I’m 12 and am also looking forward to this trip. I’ve never been camping.”

The next boy smiled more than the others and said, “I’m Chris. I’m also 12. The two youngest ones are twins, although you would never know it. I’ll let them introduce themselves.”

They stepped out of the line and smiled, also. “My name is Pete and this is my 11 year old twin, Paul. We’re very excited about this and we’ve never been camping either.”

Jim and Blair went down the line of boys and shook each of their hands. 

“Now, before we discuss when we’re going or anything else, you have to understand the rules. I can’t express these strong enough. You follow the rules or you don’t go along with us. Anyone that can’t do as we say, can’t go. You have to listen to us, even if you disagree, you can tell us about it, but we have the final say. Is that understood?” Jim asked. 

All of the boys shook their heads yes. 

Blair smiled. “In that case, let’s start making the plans. We need a list from your mom’s with any allergies or medical problems before we take off. We also need a list of your favorite foods for the shopping trip we’ll make once we get there. Does everyone know how to swim?”

Pete and Paul stepped forward and Pete said, “We don’t know how to swim.” 

“You will when you get back. I promise you, I’m going to teach you how to swim. It’s a beautiful place with anything and everything we’re going to need to have a good time. Does anyone have phones?” Blair asked. 

They all shook their heads, no and the guys were thrilled about that. Jim sure didn’t want to have to deal with kids and phones on a camping trip.

“There are four bedrooms, so two in each room. Are you all okay with sharing?” Blair asked. 

Joe said, “We already share rooms with our friends when they come to our house, so it’s no big deal. Not to me, anyhow.”

“Okay, this is Wednesday and we’re leaving Monday morning. So, we need those lists as soon as possible,” Jim suggested. 

Blair had a big smile on his face as he turned to the moms. “Okay, moms, we need to know if you all can have the boys here by five a.m. on Monday morning. Is that workable?”

Sarah was Joe’s mom and said, “Joe is so excited. He doesn’t have any medical problems at all. But I will make up the lists for you and give them to you tomorrow. I just want to say how wonderful you both are for taking our sons into your family for this trip. And that’s how we expect them to be treated, as if they were your family members.”

They all started talking and laughing and the boys asked questions that Blair was able to answer before they had to leave. 

“We’ll see you boys on Monday at five. Moms, please have the lists to us by tomorrow, so we can look everything over.” Jim walked over to the door, as they started to leave and the boys all called out together, “Thank you.” It meant the world to Jim and Blair. They walked out and Jim could hear them laughing and discussing what fun they were going to have. This made Jim feel extra warm inside. 

When they got to the bar, it was dead. So, Tom was cleaning all the tables and Jim asked him if he wanted to go home for the night. 

“Sure. Thanks, Jim. It’s a quiet night tonight. Everyone must have known you had plans.”

Blair laughed and said, “Oh yeah, I’m so sure of that.”

Tom left and Jim and Blair waited, but no one came. At midnight, there were still no customers, so Jim locked up and turned the closed sign on and the open sign off.

They got everything cleaned up and put away and went upstairs. It was odd to be off so early on a weeknight. But, maybe they did sense that Jim and Blair needed time off. Jim had no other reason to have no customers. 

Once in their apartment, they sat down on the sofa with a beer and decided they would talk. 

“So, what did you think of the boys?” Blair asked. 

“I thought they were all really nice. Very polite children, that’s for sure. I can’t wait for Monday.” Jim took a big swig of the beer and then smiled at his lover. 

“No fooling around while we’re on the trip,” Blair said. 

“That makes sense. It might scare them if they heard something. We’ll make this trip so great, they’re never going to be able to top it. Unless that includes going to college.” Jim smiled. 

They talked some more and finished their beer and then got ready for bed. Funny how sex didn’t seem that important that night. 

**Monday Morning**

At five o’clock, they had the Blazer’s packed and ready to go. They picked straws to see who rode with whom. Jim was thrilled to learn that he had the twins and Chris. Blair had the older boys. Blair would be able to talk to them better. At least that’s what Jim told himself. 

They took off and Pete said, “How long does it take to get there?”

“Wow, is this a world’s record on are we there yet?” Jim teased. “It takes about an hour and a half. So, tell me about how you like school. One at a time.”

They started talking and Jim was shocked at how much they talked. Jim wondered if Blair was having the same thing happen to him. These boys reminded Jim of Blair and his nonstop talking. So, Jim was very comfortable with them talking away. 

In Blair’s Blazer, it was the opposite. No one was saying a word. Blair finally couldn’t stand it anymore. “Don’t you boys have some questions to ask me?”

Joe said, “I wasn’t prepared for questions.”

Blair started to laugh and said, “No, I mean, if you have some questions you want to ask, go ahead. I like conversation. Talk away.”

This seemed to calm the boys down a little. When they stopped at the Corner Store outside of Cascade, Blair asked Jim how it was going. 

“They talk more than you do, Chief.”

“That sucks, cuz these guys aren’t talking much at all. I hope we didn’t misread something.”

“Everything will be fine, Chief. Do you want to drive my Blazer and get your ears talked off?”

“Maybe I do. You could drive the other three. That might be good. You don’t mind quiet. I find it unnerving.”

“Gimme your keys and we’ll trade. Now, go and have a good time. Did you get a drink?” Jim asked. 

“Yes, mom, I did. So did all of the boys. This is going to be so great.” Blair bounced all the way over to Jim’s Blazer and got in. When Jim got into Blair’s they looked at him oddly and Joe asked, “What happened to Blair?”

“He thought you weren’t comfortable with him and decided maybe we should trade off. He’s a really nice guy, you just have to get used to him talking all the time.”

“He reminds us a little of Pete and Paul. They talk all the time, too. They’re probably having a blast bending Blair’s ear right now,” Tony said. 

Daniel smiled and said, “We’re really excited, Jim. You guys are the best for doing this. Do you know that we were the only kids in class that didn’t have some summer project to do or go on this year? Our moms felt horrible about it. We barely make ends meet, so we never ask for anything extra. We all know better. Thank you again, for doing this.”

“If it works out, we’d like to take you guys once a month out to eat or to a movie. Your choice. That way you always have something to look forward to. We can’t have children and would like to share in your lives in hopes to make you feel great.”

Jim couldn’t believe how fast the time was going. Before long, they pulled into the driveway of the cabin and the boys got their first look at the cabin. 

“Wow, this is the best place, I’ve ever seen. Are we going to be able to show this place off in pictures?” Joe asked, almost laughing. 

“Blair brought his camera, so we’ll take plenty. Especially when you catch your first fish,” Jim said, happily. 

Everyone undid their seatbelts and jumped out to help carry everything into the cabin. 

Pete asked, “Is this the coolest cabin you have ever seen or what?”

Paul started laughing and said, “And we’re not even inside yet.”

Blair asked, “How would you and Paul like to start swimming lessons this morning? The pool out back is heated. We could swim in the lake, but it’s cold and has fish in it.”

“Yes, we’re excited to learn how to swim. Are you sure you can teach us?” Paul asked. 

They all walked in the house carrying their bags and were in awe of the beauty before them. They couldn’t believe they were staying here. 

Jim said, “Okay, Pete and Paul, you get this room, Joe and Tony, you get this one and Daniel and Chris, you get this one. There are four bathrooms, so there shouldn’t be any arguing over who is going to use it first in the morning.”

“Our room is beautiful,” Pete said, happily. 

“I don’t think there is a room in this house that isn’t beautiful,” Daniel said. 

“Pete and Paul, get your suits on and we’ll go swimming. Chop, chop,” Blair teased. “And this afternoon, we’ll all go fishing and see if we can catch dinner.”

TBC


	17. Shifting into Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are the twins going to learn to swim? Will they all have fun for the five days? Will Jim and Blair have the most fun? Answers to this and more in the story.   
> Genre: Slash  
> Warnings: None  
> Rating: Teen (Almost Gen)

Shifting into Fun  
Part 17 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Are the twins going to learn to swim? Will they all have fun for the five days? Will Jim and Blair have the most fun? Answers to this and more in the story.   
Genre: Slash  
Warnings: None  
Rating: Teen (Almost Gen)  
Word Count:   
Notes: Thank you again, Helena for the wonderful idea. It was so big I had to split it into two parts. 

 

Pete and Paul came out of their room wearing their swim trunks and were so nervous, but yet, excited. They couldn’t believe that they might actually learn to swim. Blair came out of his room wearing his trunks and said, “See all of you later. We’re off for our big swimming lesson.”

Jim smiled at his lover for taking this on. “I’ll keep the other guys busy. We’re going to get all of the fishing gear ready to go. When you’re done with the lesson, it’ll be time to fish.”

Joe, Tony, Daniel and Chris were chomping at the bit to help Jim. They couldn’t wait to learn all of this. None of them had ever been fishing. Jim was going to make this into a lasting impression, too. 

“Come on guys, let’s go out on the front porch and get all of the gear set up. I’ll show you how to do it all. Then once the twins learn how to swim, we’re going to teach them how to prepare for fishing. Especially, if you like it. You might want to come again.”

Joe laughed and asked, “Might? You’re kidding, right? We’d love to come again. We haven’t done anything but unpack so far and it’s still more fun than being home all alone while our moms work.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it here. It’s nice isn’t it? My dad bought this cabin for Blair and me and we felt we needed to share it with someone else now and then.”

Tony jumped up and asked, “Can we learn to put our rods together soon?”

“You’re always so impatient,” Daniel said. 

Jim smiled and handed each of them a fish and tackle box with their names on it, their fishing rods and instructed them on how to thread the line on the rod, how to put baits on the hooks and how to pick out extra hooks for later. They all sat around talking while doing all of these things Jim told them to do and before long, Blair and the twins showed up wearing regular clothes again. 

“Lesson over already?” Jim asked. 

“Jim, it’s been almost two hours. You didn’t even miss us did you?” Blair teased. 

“Seriously, I was having too good a time with the guys here. We’ve even got Pete and Paul’s box ready to go down to the dock. Are you boys ready for some fishing?” Jim asked. 

They all jumped up and had their boxes ready. “Did Jim tell you the most important thing of all?”

“We already put sunscreen on, Blair. He taught us that first. We each have a tube of it in our tackle box. We’re set,” Daniel said, happily. 

“Good, Pete and Paul put theirs on before and after we swam. Do you want to tell the boys how well you did, or do I?”

Pete was in a bounce mode, looking like Blair for a moment and said, “We swam for a while today, already. He’s a good teacher. We also learned to relax and float on our backs. We’re doing well. Paul is a little faster at learning than I am, but I’m getting it and that’s all that’s really important.”

The older boys all gave Pete and Paul a quick hug and told them how proud they were of them. Jim just smiled over at his lover, who was quite proud of his students. 

Jim stood up and hugged the twins and said, “Congratulations. He’s a good teacher, isn’t he? All of you remember that he is, if you ever have problems in school. He’s very good at teaching and would be happy to help you.”

“Enough of this, Jim. Let’s head to the dock, so we can fish. I want to see if the boys are going to learn how to clean fish today or not.” Blair started down the stairs off the porch and the boys all followed him, excitedly. 

Jim and Blair got them all set up, on the dock and they dropped their lines in. Jim had told them it was a waiting game, so they tried to be patient. The first one to get a nibble was Paul. He got so excited, he almost fell into the lake. Jim grabbed him and helped him reel in his line. Sure enough, he had a good sized fish on the end of the line. “We’re going to be cleaning some catfish, tonight.” 

The other boys, were excited now, because they saw what could be done. Within an hour, they had each caught two fish each and Jim said that was all for the day. 

“But, Jim, we’ve got all day to fish,” Chris said. 

“We stop at two fish per person up here. It’s not right to get more than that because it could be wasted and that’s not a good idea. Instead, we’ll learn to clean the fish, get it put away in the fridge and then we’ll get cleaned up and go for a boat ride. How does that sound?” Jim asked. 

The boys all jumped up and started to do what Jim had taught them about keeping their rod in good shape and keeping the tackle box up to par. 

Blair said, “Grab your fish, your rod and your tackle box and we’ll go back to the house to learn how to clean the fish and debone it. Jim is going to be in charge of deboning, because you have to use a very sharp knife, specially made for this. We want to take you all home in good shape. That means no cuts, scrapes or bruises.”

They all walked back to the house with Jim and Blair bringing up the rear. “They’re talking about this being the coolest place they’ve ever been in their lives. I say the next time, we take them on a vacation that isn’t fishing. Like Disneyland or something like that. We could even pay for the moms to come along.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, let’s fish and have a good time and we’ll make some plans further down the road,” Blair assured him. 

The boys were all waiting for Jim and Blair and Paul said, “Are you slower because you’re older?”

Jim and Blair both burst out laughing. “Why yes, we are,” Jim answered. 

“Come on boys, let’s get inside so Jim and I can show you how to clean the fish. We’re having this for dinner tonight.”

“I can’t wait. I’ve never had fresh fish, ever,” Tony said. 

“I’ve never had fish at all,” Joe said.

“We’ve got to be careful because you never know if someone is allergic to it or not. But no one worry about anything. We’re just here to have fun,” Jim insisted. 

Two hours later, they were done in the kitchen. Blair put all of the fish in the fridge and washed up. The boys all went into the different bathrooms and washed. Jim was thrilled that it went as well as it did. 

When they came out of the bathrooms, Jim asked, “Who’s ready to go on the boat?”

They all put their hand up in the air making both men laugh out loud. 

“Come on, follow me. Our boat is two docks down. It has to be in a different area then the fishing area. That way we don’t scare the fish away.” Jim walked and they all talked and snickered all the way down to the dock until they saw the boat.   
“This is our boat?” Daniel asked. 

Blair smiled. “Yup, this is it. It’s a really nice boat. There are drinks in the fridge inside the galley of the boat. Jim is the only one that is allowed near the helm, because he is driving and steering. He needs to keep his mind on matters at hand.”

Jim helped all of them onto the deck and they were in awe. It was huge and beautiful. They couldn’t believe their luck. There were lots of beach chairs on both sides of the boat. The boys were already calling dibs on different colored ones.

Jim said, “There are two staterooms for anyone that is interested in sleeping.”

Blair was glad to see that none of them wanted that. Jim got everything ready, pulled up the anchor, untied the boat from the dock and started the engine. The boys each went to one of the chairs and sat down. They were talking like crazy. Jim was glad that they were having a good time. Jim didn’t want to go far out because they didn’t have a sail for the day, so he stayed close to the dock, going back and forth. Blair kept reminding the boys to put more sunscreen on and they actually did it. 

Blair went down to the galley to fix them something for lunch. When he was done making tons of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fresh fruit cut up and fresh veggies, he brought some platters to the table on the deck. Blair called out, “Jim, lunch is served.”

Jim stopped the boat and dropped the anchor. It would keep them in one place while they ate. 

They all ate and talked about how cool the boat was. 

Tony said, “Did your dad give you the boat, too?”

Jim answered, “No, this is a rental. It belongs to the guy from the cabin three cabins down from us. We told him about this and he offered the use of his boat. He wanted you to have a good time. Blair and I have a small boat, that holds about four or five people, but that’s it.”

“Well, this is way cool, but I was happy with just sitting on the dock, fishing,” Daniel said. 

“Oh, so was I. This is the best place I’ve ever been. Thank you both for taking us,” Joe said. 

“Tonight you’re going to learn how to fry fish. Isn’t that exciting? We brought food, but we hoped that we could catch our fresh fish every day and have it for dinner. We make up rice and beans to go with it. It’s a delicious meal. Wait until you taste everything tonight,” Blair said, bubbling with excitement. 

Chris asked, “Do you think we could go swimming tonight after we have dinner and clean up?”

Jim looked at Blair and smiled. “I think an hour or more of swimming sounds like fun. We’ll do it once the kitchen is clean.”

“I can’t wait,” Paul said, “Pete and I need the practice.”

They finished lunch, cleaned up and headed back to the dock once more. They made sure everything was the way it was supposed to be before they got off the boat. 

“We only get the boat today. Tomorrow we have to take turns and go in the small boat. I hope you won’t be too disappointed,” Jim said as he helped them all off the deck onto the dock.

“I think it’s going to be fun in the small boat. Three of us can go with one of you and then next day the other three. There is enough to do that we won’t be bored,” Joe said. 

“Blair also brought each of you a book to read while sitting on the decks. They are the same book so you can all discuss it.”

“What book, Blair?” Daniel asked. 

“Moby Dick,” Blair answered. 

“This is so cool. I have to do a report next fall on that book. I’ll be prepared,” Tony said. 

Blair was pleased that they didn’t moan when Jim told them they were going to read. But of course, Blair couldn’t force them to read it.

They got back to the cabin and got their swim trunks on and decided they would all swim until dinner time. 

Blair worked in the shallower end with Pete and Paul, but Jim noticed they were getting the hang of it, really fast. They all swam for about two and a half hours and then went in, showered, dressed and began to get dinner ready. 

The boys all gathered around Jim and Blair while they were making dinner so they could learn how to do this, also. Jim liked the sounds of their voices in the cabin. It was like they were meant to be there. 

When they finally sat down to dinner, they all ate like crazy. All that swimming made them famished. After everyone ate all of the food, they all helped clean up the kitchen and load the dishwasher. 

After everything was done, they all went into their rooms to rest and read their books. Blair had put them on their night stands. Once they all got settled, Jim sat on the sofa in the living room and patted the cushion next to him. Blair didn’t want to get anything started with the boys in the next rooms. Jim saw him hesitate and said, “Chief, I just want to watch the news with you sitting next to me. Calm down. Everything will work out fine.”

Blair sat next to Jim and before long fell asleep leaning on Jim’s shoulder. Jim smiled down at him and shook him awake. “Chief, let’s go to bed.”

“Now, you’re talking, man.”

They went to bed to get rested up for the next day.

*

For the next four days, they swam, fished, went boating and just hung out on the front porch together. On Friday, they all helped pick up everything and put it where it belonged, clean the kitchen like it had never been cleaned and got all the food out of the cabin. The maid was coming in the next three days, but Jim and Blair didn’t want to leave a big mess for her, either.

Finally at four that afternoon, they packed and got everything in the Blazer’s. The boys were all quiet and Blair knew why. They hated to leave. This was probably the best time they had ever had. Blair felt the same way. It was the best time he and Jim had ever had at the cabin, also.

The drive home was pretty quiet. The boys actually admitted to missing their moms and knew that they would all be waiting for them at Megan’s place. 

Chris said, “Jim, thank you so much for taking us on this trip. It’s the best thing we’ll ever have to remember. And the photo albums with pictures you and Blair did up for us are wonderful.”

“You are very welcome, Chris. We totally enjoyed having you up there, too. We’ll do it again before school starts up once more.”

“Daniel said you might say that,” Tony said. 

“Well, Daniel is right. We really enjoyed you boys and you made us feel like we were the ones that were lucky. So, thank you.”

“That was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to us, Jim,” Joe said. 

“I’m so glad you all had a good time. Blair and I did, too. Thank you for trusting us enough to go along with us.”

The four of them talked all the way home and the same things was happening in Blair’s Blazer. Blair couldn’t imagine a time he was ever happier. These boys had made this five days so darn special and Blair hoped that they would do it again before school started back up. Little did he know, Jim had already mentioned it to the boys riding in his Blazer.

When they arrived at their place, there were excited mothers waiting in front of the bar. Jim and Blair both pulled into the parking lot next to the bar and helped the boys get all of their equipment and luggage out of the car. 

All six boys ran up to their moms and were hugging them like crazy. 

“Mom, wait until you see the photo album that Blair and Jim made up for us to help us remember the trip. It was a blast. We had such a good time,” Joe said. 

The moms got done hugging their sons and then hugged Jim and Blair and thanked them over and over again. 

“These are the nicest boys we ever could have asked for. They did everything we said and followed all orders. They even read a book up there and discussed it with each other. I can’t wait to take them again,” Blair said. 

The boys started yawning and Jim said, “You take your sons home and enjoy them. We loved spending time with them this week and we will do it again.”

Everyone thanked Jim and Blair one more time and then the moms all took their sons home. Blair was a little sad. Jim saw this and wondered again if they had made the right decision in buying a bar. There was no way they could raise a child above a bar and with the hours that Jim and Blair kept. Jim was filled with doubt and it took away from the happiness he had been feeling before that. 

They got upstairs with all of their things and unpacked and didn’t say much to each other. Blair finally looked over at Jim and said, “Get rid of the feelings of guilt, Jim. I loved bringing them home and letting their moms take over. I’d rather do something like this any day. I’m not missing out on anything. So, lose the guilty look on your face.”

“You looked sad, Chief.”

“I was sad. But, I’m already better. I know that we get to go to bed and do something fun this time. It’s been a long five days, Ellison.”

Jim pulled Blair in for a long, sloppy kiss. When he pulled away he knew that Blair was ready for a lot more than a kiss. 

“Feel like fooling around, Chief?”

“Race you to the bedroom. Winner gets to top.” Blair dashed into the room and Jim let him. He knew that Blair needed to take control. He might think he was fine, but Blair was feeling a slight loss and needed to show Jim how much he meant to him. Maybe Blair was worried about Jim feeling a little bit of a loss. Jim never thought about that.   
When he got in bed, Jim said, “Blair, I adore you and I don’t really want to have children. This was my idea of sharing in a child’s life. I’m too selfish to share my time and energy with someone other than you. I hope you understand that.”

Blair hugged him close and said, “I was worried about how you felt, too. Thank you for putting my mind at ease. Now, what was said about fooling around? And who gets to top? Who could that be?” 

All that could be heard in the apartment was laughing and loving by two men that meant the world to each other. 

TBC


	18. Shifting Back to Normal Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair have to come down from the cloud they were on after the trip with the kids. Normal life, doesn’t seem to be enough. 
> 
> Warnings: A little angst and bad language

Shifting Back to Normal Life  
Part 18 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Jim and Blair have to come down from the cloud they were on after the trip with the kids. Normal life, doesn’t seem to be enough.   
Warnings: A little angst and bad language  
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen (Gen, really)  
Word Count: 2526

 

Blair woke up first thing Saturday morning, alone in their bed and wondered where Jim was. He noticed that Jim tossed and turned all night long. Blair knew that something was brewing in that Sentinel brain and Blair had a feeling that it wasn’t good. 

Blair walked out of the bedroom and was shocked to see that Jim wasn’t there. It was only 8:00 in the morning. Where would he be? Blair picked up the phone and called the bar but there was no answer. Blair grabbed his clothing for the day and went to take a shower. 

Once he was ready and had his morning cup of coffee, Blair went downstairs to see if Jim was down there. Jim hadn’t mentioned he was going in early, but Blair figured he might be there, anyhow. He entered the bar and Jim didn’t seem to hear him as he walked up behind him and Blair softly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jim jumped pretty high, so Blair knew something was up. “Talk to me, Jim.”

“I just felt like getting a jump start on the bar today. We’ve been gone for almost a week, so it needs some dusting and ordering things. I didn’t even hear you come in. Why are you sneaking up on me?”

“First of all, I wasn’t sneaking. Next, you tossed and turned all night long, waking me up, too and lastly, I’m your lover and partner, don’t you want to tell me what’s going on?”

Jim moved away from Blair and asked, “Why does there always have to be something wrong if I’m quiet?”

“So, there is nothing wrong, Jim?”

“No, I just wanted to get a jump start on work today. What’s wrong with you?” Jim asked. 

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just worried about you.”

“There you go again, making this into a big drama. I just want to work and not talk, okay?” Jim snapped. 

Blair glared at Jim and said, “That’s fine. I’ll be upstairs if you want to talk or anything. I’m not working with you today because you’re being an asshole.”

“Jesus Christ, Blair. All I wanted was to get an early start on work. Why can’t it just be something simple?”

“Because, you’re treating me like crap. That’s why.”

Blair turned and walked out of the bar and went back upstairs. He didn’t know what was wrong with Jim, but it was something bigger then what Jim talked about. Blair was tired of Jim’s moods and wasn’t putting up with it. Instead, he decided he would call William and see if he wanted to have lunch. Blair waited until about 10:45 and he picked up his cell once he got into the apartment and called William.

“Ellison.”

“Hi, William. This is Blair. I wondered if you would like to have lunch with me today. Jim and I are sick of each other and I just want to leave for a short while.”

“What about Olive Garden in twenty minutes?” William asked. 

“That would be great. Thanks, William.” Blair hung up the phone and got ready to go have lunch. He walked down to the garage and got his Blazer out and drove off. 

Inside the bar, Jim heard the garage door going up and wondered what Blair was doing. But then Blair drove off and now Jim really wondered what Blair was doing. Well, some time alone for both of them wouldn’t be a bad thing. Jim went back to cleaning and mopping, still wondering where Blair was going.

*

William smiled when he saw Blair in a booth at Olive Garden. “Hello, Blair.”

Blair jumped up and gave William a manly hug and sat back down. “What sounds good today, William?”

“I’m getting Shrimp Alfredo and going to be thrilled with it.”

“I might get the same. That does sound good,” Blair pointed out. 

The waiter walked up and asked William what he wanted to drink. William told him, “Iced tea, just like Blair’s,” and said, “we’re ready to order.”

Both men ordered their meal and waited for the man to bring back William’s iced tea. Once he left, after dropping it off, William took a small sip of the tea and asked, “So, what did Jimmy do today?”

“Nothing, he’s just working and in kind of a bad mood. I decided to leave him alone. It might be good to separate us for the day, you know?”

“Blair, what did he do this time, seriously?”

“William, I swear, he didn’t do anything. He’s just acting weird. I asked him what was wrong and he told me I turned everything into a drama. So, I left him to stew in his juices and we’ll see what he says tonight when he comes home from the bar.”

“Did you two argue when you got home from the trip?” William asked. 

Blair thought a moment and said, “He was in an excellent mood when we dropped the boys off. It lasted until after we went to bed. Whatever is wrong happened during the night and I was sleeping all night and don’t have a clue.”

“Perhaps you said something in your sleep,” William suggested. 

“Perhaps, but he still didn’t have to act like that. He could have just asked me about whatever it was that I might have said.”

“I agree. Let’s not worry about Jim. Now, tell me all about the five days with the six young men.”

Blair went into bounce mode once again and said, “Two of the boys, the twins, didn’t know how to swim. I taught them while we were there. All they need now is some practice. They both were swimming on Friday before we left. They were so excited. We were thrilled to death that we were able to do that with them. The rest of the boys learned to fish, clean fish, cook fish and just had an all-around good time. It was the best week of our lives. Jim and I were both so happy when we got home. I don’t know what could have happened.”

Their food came and they both began to eat while William was trying to figure out what happened to his son. The lunch was delicious and they ate without much talk. 

Once they were done, William said, “How do you feel about having a family?”

Blair looked surprised and said, “Well, we’re not really set up for little kids, William.”

“But the setting isn’t unheard of for an older child or children. What if that’s what’s wrong? What if he wants that and feels like he made a mistake with the bar. You know Jimmy, he thinks he doesn’t need to talk to anyone, he just stews until he’s ready.”

“You think Jim might want a family? We live above a bar, William. I don’t think it would work.”

“At least talk to him about it. You could even say it’s your idea to discuss it. He might open up then.”

“I’ll try when I get home, William. Things will be fine. He just needs to think.”

“Blair, sometimes Jimmy doesn’t think that well on his own.”

Blair burst out laughing and said, “Okay, I’ll talk to him when I get home.”

“Good, now lunch is on me today,” William said as he grabbed the ticket from Blair. 

“You sneaky guy, you. I asked you, I should be paying,” Blair pointed out. 

“Blair, I should be paying you monthly for putting up with Jimmy.”

Once again, Blair burst out laughing. 

“Come over to my house and we’ll have coffee and talk some more. It’ll do Jimmy good to wonder where you are.”

“You have a deal, William.”

The two men left in their cars and Blair followed William home.

*

Jim was pacing at the bar at three. Where did Blair go? He didn’t even say goodbye or anything. _Ellison, you’ll have to treat him better if you want him to actually talk to you._

Jim went ahead and opened up the bar early because there were people parked out front already. _Nothing like a bunch of drunks._ Jim snickered to himself as he put the open sign on and unlocked the door. 

Five people walked in and sat at the bar. Jim got their orders for them and Bill asked, “Where is Blair?”

“He had some errands to run. He might be here tomorrow.”

“We missed you both while you were gone for the week. We had to go to O’Reilly’s for a beer and it sucks there,” Mike said. 

“You know Mike, beer is beer no matter where you have it,” Jim said. 

“That’s what people might think, but it doesn’t even taste as well over there. Plus they don’t give snacks out like Blair does.”

Jim smiled and said, “Tonight, all there will be is popcorn, pretzels and peanuts. Sorry, guys.”

“We love your popcorn,” Sam said. 

Jim burst out laughing and said, “You guys must have really missed us. Sorry.”

Big Bob (because he was 6’6”) laughed and said, “You’re entitled to a vacation now and then. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

Then all five men laughed, making Jim feel good for the day. 

At about eight that night, Jim was busier than hell and in walked Blair through the front door. This threw Jim off, somewhat. That meant that Blair hadn’t been home that entire time. Where had he been all day and evening?

The people in the bar, greeted him with a lot of laughs and pats on the back. Blair was smiling and walked over to Jim and said, “Wow, you’re busy tonight. Did you need help?”

“Yeah, I could use some help if you have the time,” Jim answered. Blair looked close at Jim and saw he did look sorry. 

Blair went behind the bar and got his apron out. The one that said, ‘Blair’ and started cleaning tables off. 

Mike called out, “Aren’t you making any snacks tonight?”

Blair smiled. “Not tonight, I will tomorrow night.”

They all started booing and Blair burst out laughing. He had all of them so spoiled. No, Blair wasn’t changing his mind. He would bake some things the next day. They would have to make do with the snacks that were out.

About ten that night, things started slowing down and Jim came out and helped clean the tables and empty the trashes. He kept looking at Blair, trying to figure out if Blair was mad or not, but Blair wasn’t giving off any vibes at all. Jim was going to have to figure this out himself. 

Blair was looking at the news board they had up and saw something that caught his attention. Jim had changed the usual hours of 4:00-2:00 to 3:00-12:00. Blair couldn’t believe it. He had mentioned this to Jim some time ago, but Jim said no, they didn’t want any changes. Blair opened up the door and the sign on the front door had the new hours on it. Blair was in shock. What was that about?  
At midnight, Jim escorted everyone to the front door and locked up. They had all complained that Jim was closing too soon, but Jim didn’t seem to care. 

Blair helped him clean up. They took recycle out to the alley and the trash to the bins. Before long they were done and still hadn’t said two words to each other. Blair wondered if Jim was ever going to apologize. Blair felt he was due. 

They locked the back door and walked upstairs to their apartment. As soon as they were in the door, Jim shut and locked it and then reached over and pulled Blair into his arms. 

“I’m sorry, I was such an asshole today. I didn’t sleep well and took it out on you. I love you so much and sometimes I never even tell you.”

Blair hugged him back and said, “I’ll accept your apology if you talk to me. Did I say something in my sleep?”

Jim looked horrified. “How did you figure it out?”

“Just put a lot of thinking into it.” Blair didn’t mention William at all. 

“So, what did I say, anyhow?” Blair wondered. 

Jim pushed him over to the sofa and they both sat down. Jim kissed Blair once and said, “I don’t know what to do about this.”

“About what? You’re way ahead of me. I have no clue as to what I said in my sleep. So, share.”

Jim held Blair’s hand and told him what was bothering him. “You said you want a son.”

Blair looked surprised and said, “Really? That’s so odd, because as far as I know, I don’t.”

“Blair, you must want one, or you wouldn’t have said it.”

“Unless, I got the feeling you were having second thoughts about camping with the boys. Did it make you feel like you were missing something?”

“Yes. I realized we couldn’t raise a family over a bar and I was upset about it. And then you said that in your sleep and I figured that I fucked up big time.”

“How do you figure that you fucked up because I said I wanted a child?”

Jim thought on that for a moment and said, “I had to have this bar. I didn’t even ask you how the long term effects would bother you. It never occurred to me that you might want a family. And I just made all the plans without you. I’m so sorry, Chief.”

“Jim, I don’t know why I said that in my sleep because I don’t want a family. I’d prefer doing what we did last week. Those kids need us more than anyone could. So, stop feeling guilty, all right? We did a good thing with those kids and I plan on doing it again. But only if you’re in the mood for doing things again. I don’t want you thinking we’re missing out.”

“Could we tell their moms that they are welcome to come over here any time they need to talk or need help with homework? I would like to be in their lives more than just now and then.”

“Yes, Jim. That’s fine with me. Call them tomorrow night while we’re not busy and we’ll make some plans. We’ve got that great basketball hoop out in the parking lot. They could come and we could take turns playing basketball with them.”

“I’m sorry I was such an ass today. I’m glad you came back. I would have been lost without you. I love you so much.”

“Then show me,” Blair said. 

Jim got up, pulled Blair behind him and they walked into the bedroom where Jim planned on making Blair remember just who he belonged to. And Jim also wanted Blair to be happy about it. 

TBC


	19. Day Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blair and Jim are getting back to normal and Simon drops by to check on them. 
> 
> Warnings: a little bad language and a little bit of sex. (If you blink, you miss it)

Day Shift   
Part 19 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Blair and Jim are getting back to normal and Simon drops by to check on them.   
Warnings: a little bad language and a little bit of sex.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen (Almost Gen, really)  
Word Count: 2386 

 

Blair loved waking up to Jim kissing and sucking on his body parts. Yes, days were his favorite time. Jim continued doing his thing and Blair came with a shout, into his Sentinel’s warm inviting mouth. 

“Hey, want me to take care of you now?” Blair asked. 

“Too late,” Jim said, smiling. 

“Oh, I love when you do that, Jim. It’s so fucking sexy.”

“I’m not wild about losing control so easily when I’m with you. But, there is nothing I can do about it. You make me so fucking hot, babe.”

Blair smiled at the compliment. “Double that and that’s what you do to me.”

“Shower?” Jim asked. 

“Race you,” Blair said as he ran for the shower. Jim always wondered why Blair did that, because Jim never gave chase. Blair always won. Jim just liked seeing his naked lover run through the apartment with everything bouncing.

Once they got out of the shower, Blair said, “I need to get my ass in gear. I have a class starting in an hour. Shit, I’m always late, when it comes to you.”

“You’re in a really good mood this morning, was it the sex?” Jim wondered. 

“Not just the sex, Jim. I love mornings and the day time. I seem to have more energy when it comes to the day shift. So, off I go. Have a good day and we’ll see you tonight. You have to work the dreaded night shift.”

“Not tonight, Blair. Tonight is poker night, did you forget?” 

“Shit…I did forget. You sucked my brains right out through my dick.”

Jim laughed, gave Blair a swat on the butt and pushed him out the door. Jim didn’t want Blair to be late for class.

Jim went and got back into bed. He loved the early mornings when he had the entire bed to himself. Not that he didn’t like sharing his bed with Blair, but he loved stretching out by himself.

Jim was lying naked on top of the bed when he smelled cigar and knew that Simon was at the front door. Jim looked at the clock and saw that it was only 10:00 in the morning. Jim swore to himself, as he hit his big toe on the bed frame. He got his sleep pants on and went to answer the door. Throwing the door open, he said, “Hey, Simon. Come on in.”

“I was trying to decide if I was going to wake you up or not. I wanted to talk to you about something,” Simon stated. 

“Well, don’t just stand in the doorway, get your butt in here and talk. Would you like some fresh coffee?”

Simon smiled. “I would love some fresh coffee. I’m playing hooky and need a friend to talk to.”

Jim said, “Sit on the sofa, I’ll join you in a moment.”

Simon went and sat down and waited for Jim to get the coffee going. Jim called out from the kitchen, “Nothing is wrong with anyone, right?”

“Just me,” Simon answered. 

Jim walked into the living room and sat down next to Simon and said, “You’ve got my attention now. What’s going on?”

“Jim, I find myself wanting to retire and don’t know what to do with myself. I’m too young to retire for good. I need some help in deciding what I should do.”

Jim smiled. “I just so happen to need a partner to work nights with me, if you’re interested. I own two more of the buildings here with apartments on top of them, that you could live in with a small amount of work needed. Blair works at the university, so has little time to help me. He tries, but he’s being pulled in both directions. It’s hard on him. I could pay you a decent salary, Simon. Not quite what you make at the station, but adequate. And then if we ever need to leave for a week again, I would have someone here to take care of business. What do you think about that?”

“I would be forever grateful for a job here. And I could also use a place that was close by to live. I bet you wouldn’t charge me too much for rent, am I right?” Simon asked. 

“Consider yourself hired, Simon. As far as the rent for the apartment goes, it’s nothing. I paid off the buildings, so you would just have to fix it up and pay utilities. Both apartments have an alley access and a garage.”

“Jim, slow down a little. Don’t you think you need to talk to Blair first? I’m not going to give my notice until you talk to him and we’ll see what he says.”

“Are you sure that you don’t need to make more money, Simon?”

“No, Jim. I’m comfortable. I don’t have any bills and own all of my own furniture. So, all I need is a place to fix up and move into. Do they have two bedrooms?”

“Yes, both of them are two bedrooms apartments. One is in a little better shape than the other one. Blair and I can help you fix it up on our days off. In the meantime, you can stay with us.” Jim was smiling like crazy by this time. 

“Again, Jim, I think you need to slow down. Blair might not like the sounds of any of this. And it does involve him. Let’s wait and see what he says.”

Jim said, “I’ll talk to Blair tonight and get his take on it. I’ll tell you the truth when we finish talking. Tonight is poker and we can talk about it afterwards.”

“But you’ll discuss it with him before poker, right? I don’t want you putting him on the spot,” Simon pointed out. 

“Don’t worry, Simon. I’ll handle it properly. Now, let me get your coffee and you can tell me what brought this on.”

The two men sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and discussing life in general. Simon told Jim that he was tired of paperwork and being shot at. Jim totally understood where he was coming from. Plus Simon said he wanted to start dating again and they both knew that’s almost impossible when you’re a cop. 

At about noon, Simon got up and rinsed out his cup in the sink. “I need to get back to work. I’ll see you tonight and maybe you’ll have some good news for me. But don’t worry about it if Blair doesn’t go for it.”

“He’s going to be home soon. I can ask him then. Go back to work and don’t worry about a thing.”

Jim walked Simon to the door and then locked it behind Simon’s retreating form. Jim wanted to jump in the shower before Blair got home. _You already took a shower, why would you take a second one, you moron?_

Instead Jim walked into their room and picked out what he was going to wear that day. Jim couldn’t believe that he might have some help soon. Jim really needed it, too. He didn’t want to tell Blair about it, but he was really getting tired from doing most of it by himself. Jim sure didn’t want to complain because Blair still taught classes and worked as a tutor. He still helped Jim whenever he could at night, but Blair was starting to look more tired each week. And now, Blair wanted to spend more time with the six young men that had come into their lives. So, having Simon work for them would be a good thing. 

Jim went downstairs and started getting things ready in the bar. It was about 2:00 when he saw Blair drive up and this made Jim smile, big time. 

Blair came in bouncing as usual and asked, “How’s it going today?”

“Things are great, Blair. I need to talk to you, but let me get some of the food made for tonight’s poker party.”

Blair put his backpack down, locked the front door back up and then went into the kitchen to cook with Jim. “Oh, I love those meatballs you make. So do the guys.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. I’ve got little smokies cooking in a crockpot with barbecue sauce over them. Then, I made some potato salad, chips and dip and some guacamole.”

Blair sat at the bar while Jim finished making the guacamole and asked, “What do you have to talk with me about?”

“Simon would like to run the bar with me full time. That way we could have more time off and tons of time to spend with the boys. I couldn’t pay him as much as he makes at the station, but he didn’t seem to mind about that. And he liked the idea of taking one of the apartments above the other shops we own, to live in. He’s very excited but said he wasn’t going to make any plans until the boss gave him the word.”

Blair looked a little puzzled. “The boss?”

“You, you nut.” Jim pulled Blair in for a kiss and they stayed that way for a while. 

“Simon thinks of me as the boss?” Blair asked, excitedly. Jim didn’t have the nerve to tell Blair that he had been kidding. Jim just decided to go with it. 

“You’re everyone’s boss, Chief. Why do you think I call you Chief? Now, what do you think of this idea?”

“I think it’s great. We’d have more time for each other and to take the boys places. Simon could be in charge while we left on trips. I like this idea, very much.”

Jim hugged Blair once more. “I’m so glad you’re on board about this. Simon was a little worried that you wouldn’t want him here all the time.”

“Which apartment does he want?” Blair asked. 

“I have no idea. We didn’t look at either of them, yet.”

“Oh man, I need to get the chips and stuff set out for the party. I mean, the poker chips, not the chips and dip.” Blair snickered as he got the big table ready for poker. 

Everyone usually came about 5:30 on Monday, so at exactly 5:30, there was a knock at the door. Blair looked out and saw Rafe. He opened the door and let him in. 

“Sandburg, you’re never going to believe this, but the Commissioner came in and tore Simon a new asshole today and Simon quit. Do you believe it? He packed up his stuff and left the Commissioner to deal with everything.”

Jim was shocked. Simon had talked about giving notice, but not quitting. “Rafe, do you think he went back and gave notice?”

“No, Jim, he didn’t. He was telling the Commissioner off big time and told him he was in charge of everything since he seemed to think it was so easy.” Rafe walked over to the bar and got himself a beer and then went back to the poker table. 

The next knock was Joel, Simon, Henri, Megan and Dan Wolfe. Jim was so glad to see that Dan was still coming on Monday’s. Usually Dan worked on Monday nights, so it was hard for him to make it. Jim figured he must have switched with someone. 

Jim walked over to Simon and asked, “Someone has some news to share?”

Simon grinned. “I couldn’t take it one more minute. He was driving me nuts and making our jobs seem like they were nothing. So, I told him he could be in charge now.”

Joel asked, “I’ve always wanted to buy a little corner grocery store in a neighborhood, do you think I could get that place at the corner for a good price? Or, I could open an ice cream store. Which sounds better?” 

Rafe looked stunned. “Wait a minute, where would I work. I’m not staying there with all of you gone.”

Jim started laughing and said, “First of all, Joel, across the street and two doors down is a realtor’s office. He’s really nice, so ask him what kind of a deal you could get on it. And the ice cream store sounded good, too. Next, Rafe, you don’t have to stay there, but you may have to work with someone else or open your own place of business. And lastly, Simon is going to be a new partner in Jim’s Place so that Blair and I have more time off and have more time to get things done. Rafe, I have a building four doors down, that you could open up a business in. You could buy it from me.”

Rafe looked excited as he said, “I have always wanted to open up my own business. I love framing. Do you think a framing shop would do a good enough business around here?”

Simon decided to answer this one. “I think any type of shop will do well because it’s a nice neighborhood. Megan is doing very well and Henri, also.”

Dan Wolfe said, “I’m going to be the only one left at the station. That sucks.”

“There is always Monday night poker, Dan. And we’d love to continue having you come no matter who is still at the station.”

“Simon, are you giving up your townhouse or staying there?” Joel asked. 

“I’m going to rent a two bedroom apartment above one of the buildings here. Jim and Blair are giving me a good deal. I’ll need help cleaning and painting. Who wants to volunteer?” Simon asked. 

“We’ll all help, Simon,” Jim said. 

Blair leaned back in his chair and said, “Are we going to play poker or what?”

They all sat at the table and began their night of fun. Everyone asked Simon questions and he answered them as well as he could. Blair and Megan won most of the pots, as usual. Blair looked around and noticed that everyone he loved was around him and he couldn’t be happier about it. 

Day shift was great, but the night shift worked out well, too. 

TBC


	20. Shifting All the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair discuss the changes that are taking place in their lives and everyone else’s lives.

shifting All the Way  
Part 20 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Jim and Blair discuss the changes that are taking place in their lives and everyone else’s lives.   
Warnings: None  
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 1879  
Notes: I think this one is the end. What do you think? If anyone disagrees, let me know. Email is PattRose1@aol.com

 

“Hey Jim, now that we’re home from the bar we can discuss some things.” Blair hung his jacket up along with Jim’s. 

“What did you want to discuss, Chief?”

“All the new information in our lives, man. It’s hard to keep up with, there is so much, don’t you agree?”

Jim sat down on the sofa and asked, “Would you get me a beer? Then we’ll discuss some things. Sit over here, Babe.”

Blair went and got them each a beer and sat down next to Jim and asked, “Who are you the most shocked about?”

“Honestly, this one’s easy. Joel. He was close to retirement, a lot like Simon and he gave it up so he could open a grocery store? It seems so weird to me. Mind you, I think he’s going to do well in this neighborhood because of all the children in the area. They all probably love ice cream. Putting an ice cream freezer on top of everything else, is going to bring him big money, I think. Let’s not even mention the slurpie machine.”

Blair burst out laughing and said, “I swear you’re only excited for him because you want to have slurpies every day.”

“True as that may be, I’m really happy for all of them,” Jim admitted. 

“What I find odd, is that they used to all be at the station and in police work and now they aren’t. Rafe bought his building and is opening up a framing shop. He likes how sleek things looked when they are framed and matted. We’ll have to buy something new to be framed and give him business. He’s also going to use the apartment above his shop for himself. He’s really excited. Megan and I helped him paint a bunch this week. He’s ordered all of his product, now just has to get a sign made up and go from there. I think the name Rafe’s Framing sounds very nice.”

“I think so too, Chief.”

“Next is Simon. I love having him working with us. Man, I was able to correct all of the tests from today while you guys ran the bar. That way when we closed, it would be you and me time, not doing school work time. I like that you gave him the apartment over the building next to Henri and Megan. “We’re going to start on his next. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he said you offered him a good deal.”

“I did, Chief. I offered him the building itself for the price of what we paid when things were a little cheaper. So, he could easily afford it. He’s going to rent the building out to someone. He had a biker look at it today for a parts shop. Simon was pretty interested in this guy. He was nice, Simon mentioned, when we talked.”

Blair looked confused for a moment and asked, “Bike shop as Motorcycle parts shop or regular bicycle shop?”

“Motorcycle parts shop. I guess that guy’s name is Tiny.” 

Both Jim and Blair burst out laughing. 

“I bet he’s bigger than Simon is,” Blair teased. 

Jim answered, “Simon said he’s 6’6” and sweet as can be. Simon thinks he might be a good tenant but wanted to see what we thought of a biker shop being in our little community. I told him that we didn’t judge people by who or what they were. He should know that just from the shelter being here.”

“Tell him we’d all like to meet, Tiny.” Blair smiled at the nick-name alone. He couldn’t wait to meet him. 

“Oh, by the way, no poker this week,” Jim said. 

“Why not?” Blair wondered. 

“We’re going to be busy painting and moving everyone into their new apartments. Both Monday and Tuesday are planned. How is school those days?”

Blair thought a moment and said, “Jim, today is Monday, so I would hope I know what’s going on today. I have classes in the morning both today and tomorrow. But other than that, nothing. I’ll be here after eleven to pitch in and paint. Is Joel getting his place ready, too?”

“Yup. He’s just as ready as Rafe and Simon are to get in and get settled. Simon had new floors put down last week, so I bet it looks wonderful over there. I can’t wait to see it.”

Blair took a swig of his beer and swallowed it slowly. The beer tasted so good, and he noticed that Jim was drinking his slow, also.   
“We better get to bed if you have classes in the morning, Chief.”

“You’re so right. Let’s get to bed.”

They both rinsed their bottles out and put them in the recycle bin. Then they took turns getting ready for bed. Jim was bushed. Blair was close behind him. It had been a very busy night. 

They slipped into bed and curled into one another and before long, they were both sleeping.

*

The next two days were crazy. They all had underestimated how much work needed to be done in all of the places. But then, the Veteran’s from the shelter volunteered to help and the work went pretty quickly. They all got Simon, Joel and Rafe moved in. Before long all three men were ready to receive visitors. 

Blair sat at home on Wednesday and made welcome baskets for all three men. In it, he put coffee, tea, beer, candy, nuts and gift certificates to the bar. When he was done, they looked terrific.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/GFTSW10094-2_zps973cfe9b.jpg.html)

Blair left them sitting on the counter so Jim could see them before they would deliver them to everyone the following day. 

Blair got ready and went downstairs to see if there was anything he could do to help Simon and Jim. When he walked in at 4:00, the bar was packed. Blair thought about what day it was to see if he forgot a holiday or something, but it was just Wednesday. Everyone hollered out a hello to Blair as he headed for the kitchen. He was going to make some snacks and some cookies. Blair busied himself with making Chex Mix, meatballs, salsa and little smokies. He was almost done with everything when Jim walked in. He pulled Blair into his arms and kissed him. “Sorry, I couldn’t greet you earlier, as you saw we were really busy. I have no idea why. Oh, I love those meatballs. I thought I smelled them out there.”

“I could never surprise you, could I?” Blair asked. 

“I don’t suppose so. And I smell cookies. My favorite ones, too. Those peanut butter cookies go fast. Make sure and save two in the back for me and Simon. OK?”

“I will. Wait until you see the welcome baskets I made for Joel, Simon and Rafe. They’re really nice. You’re going to love them. The guys will too.”

“I better get back out there and help Simon. See you soon, babe,” Jim said. 

Blair caught his arm and asked, “Do you want to take some of the stuff out to the food bar right now?”

“Yeah, I guess I could. I’ll take the smokies and meatballs first. I’ll come back for the rest of it. Thanks, Chief.”

“You are most welcome. I’ll bring the Chex Mix and cashew, almond and peanut mix.”

“No wonder this bar is always hopping. We treat them like kings,” Jim teased. 

Both men walked out with their hands full and everyone started over to the food bar. They all knew the drill. Blair put out the Chex Mix, mixed nuts and some Cheetos and Tortilla chips. He also had the salsa put out. Then he stocked the paper plates, napkins and silverware. Before long the food bar was full of all of their customers. Blair smiled when he saw them. They acted like they were starving most of the time. But it was like Jim pointed out once, some of these men didn’t have families and never went home to make anything for themselves. Blair felt like he was doing his part. 

Simon walked up to Blair and asked, “You know how Thursday is our slowest night? Well, we were talking tonight about having something special to eat on Thursdays. What do you think of that idea?”

“You mean, like lasagna or something like that?” Blair asked. 

“Yeah, something like that would be perfect.”

“Sure, Simon, I’ll work something out to where it’s not the same thing every Thursday. I’ll put it on the bulletin board for everyone to see. Tomorrow could be our first try at it. I’ll make Chicken and noodles. Homemade.”

“Blair, that sounds perfect. Why don’t you put it on the board and that way we can start spreading the news.”

Blair walked over to the bulletin board, that was also a chalk board and put down, Thursday’s Special. Homemade chicken and Noodles for $2.50 a plate.”

Jim saw what Blair was doing and walked to him and asked, “You’re sure you have time for this, Chief?”

“I do have time. I’ll make it all up ahead of time and bring it down right before you open with Simon. This might boost sales on Thursday, don’t you think?”

“Only if you have time and it’s not too big of a hassle. I don’t want you overdoing with your job and all.”

“Let’s plan on every Thursday and see how it goes. I already know what I’m making next week. Lasagna, but it’s going to be $4.00 a plate. I use a lot of meats and cheeses in that, so it’s expensive. How does that sound?” Blair asked. 

“It sounds great, Chief.”

“I’m going upstairs to make the list of things I need for tomorrow’s dinner. See you when you close,” Blair said. 

“Okay.”

Blair decided that they would hand out the baskets first thing in the morning before he started cooking. Then he could get busy with the food. He wasn’t sure how much to make since this was the first time, but he wanted to be sure there was enough. Thankfully, he didn’t have classes. 

Jim got home that night and kissed Blair. “Wow, these baskets are wonderful, Chief.”

“I’m glad you think so. I was hoping you would like them. We’re going to deliver them in the morning. I hope you don’t mind getting up for that. Then I’m going to make the food for the dinner. Things are going to look up on Thursdays, don’t you worry. In fact, they’ll probably bitch that we don’t serve food every night we’re open.”

“We’re not a restaurant. I mean we can serve food, but I don’t want to serve it every night of the week.”

“Everything is going so beautifully in our lives and our friend’s lives. We couldn’t ask for more could we?” Blair asked. 

“We’re definitely shifting all the way.”

And they were. 

 

The end


	21. Shifting into Reverse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There might be some problems ahead for the boys. A little angst is good now and then.
> 
> Warnings: Some bad language.

Shifting into Reverse  
Part 21 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: There might be some problems ahead for the boys. A little angst is good now and then.  
Warnings: Some bad language.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2418

 

Simon and Jim were taking care of business and Jim kept looking at his watch. Simon smiled at this and finally asked, “Why don’t you just call him and see where he is?”

“He’s probably upstairs grading papers and I’m being a worry wart for nothing. He has a right to some time to himself. I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight, but I’m going to get busy here and stop fretting. Sorry, Simon.”

“You don’t have to say sorry to me.” 

Simon went out and started cleaning off some tables and new people were coming in the door as quickly as they seemed to get a table cleared off. It was a busy, busy night. 

Simon walked back over to the bar and saw Jim busier then hell and said, “I think we need to hire a waitress. What do you think?”

“I think you’re right. We’ve been busy every night for a week and it doesn’t seem to be letting up. Ever since the motorcycle guys started spreading the word, we’ve been too busy for just the two of us,” Jim agreed. 

“I’ll put an ad on the board, here first and then we’ll go from there. Actually, Blair might know of a student that could use the money. I wonder where he is. He’s usually here by this time. It’s after ten. Maybe he’s not coming. Did you piss him off or something?”

“Simon, I’m a little busy here.” Jim started handing the drinks out and Simon watched him moving across the bar and realized that Jim was hiding something. He probably had pissed Blair off. _Damn, idiot._

A young motorcycle girl walked up to the bar and said, “Simon, I would like the job that I heard you talking about posting.”

“Are you twenty-one?”

“Just turned, yesterday. That’s why my dad let me come in tonight. And I’m looking for work.”

“What’s your name?” Simon asked. 

“Mary Miller. Can’t get much simpler than that, can you?” She smiled. 

“Let me talk to Jim, Mary and I’ll get back to you. Write down your phone number and your address and we’ll let you know.”

“I could work tonight for free and you can see if I could do it or not,” Mary suggested. 

Simon started working and the next time he and Jim had a moment, he told Jim about Mary. Jim said, “It can’t hurt. Let her try it out. She’ll have to learn the prices of the drinks from us.”

Simon went and found her and told her she could begin that night and see if she liked it. She happily stood up and took the apron from Simon and went to the first table and took their order. She put it in with Jim, Jim filled it and she took it back to the table with the bill. She collected the money and turned it in Jim and Simon. This went on for about two hours and she was busy the entire time, until closing. 

She walked up when everyone had left and asked, “So, how did I do?”

Jim handed her tips to the happy girl and said, “You’re hired, Mary. You did really well. What nights can you work?”

“All of them…”

“Do you go to school?” Jim asked. 

“No, just needed a job is all. And my dad is Tiny from across the street. He told me to ask about it.”

“Okay, be here at five every night and you’ll get off at midnight. Welcome to Jim’s Place.” 

Simon took her apron and she left out the front door. Jim and Simon felt pretty good about her. She had worked her ass off all night and never had one complaint from customers. 

Simon locked the front door and made sure the closed sign was on. Then he began the routine of helping Jim clean up the place. 

“So, did you call Blair?”

“Simon, we didn’t have time. I’ll see him when I get upstairs. I probably irritated him this morning or something.”

“You better not piss him off, Jim. We sort of like how things are going in your lives right now. We don’t want any changes.”

“Simon, why would there be changes? For Christ sake, he didn’t come into the bar one night. It’s not like he left me.”

“Why don’t you call him and ask him to come down for a drink? I’ll make him a Peach Bellini, just the way he likes it.” Simon handed the phone to Jim. 

Jim dialed the apartment and it rang many times and no answer. Jim hung up and frowned. “That’s weird. Maybe he’s sleeping already.”

“Go see if his car is in the garage, Jim.”

Jim didn’t even ask why, he walked to the back, went into the alley and opened up the garage door and saw that Blair’s SUV wasn’t parked there and was officially worried. _All right, what did I do now?_

Jim pulled his cell out and called Blair’s cell phone. A sleepy Blair answered the phone.   
“Sandburg.”

“Blair, where are you?”

Blair looked at the clock and saw it was after midnight and said, “I can’t believe you didn’t notice I was missing until now. This is so typical of you. Jim, I’m staying in a hotel. I want to think and I can’t do that at the apartment. Now, I need to sleep for classes tomorrow.”

“Chief, what did I do?”

“You shifted into reverse and left me in drive.”

“I don’t understand. Explain?”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, after classes are done. Good night, Jim.”

Jim walked back into the bar and looked lost, so Simon knew something had happened. “What’s going on, Jim?”

“Fuck, if I know. He’s at a hotel. Said I shifted into reverse and left him in drive. Do you know what that even fucking means?” Jim sounded almost angry, suddenly. 

“No, I haven’t a clue. Just sleep on it tonight and see if you can’t figure out why he’s pissed off.”

“We were fine this morning when I came down here to do books. Then, he left for classes and I haven’t talked to him since. He was pissed that I didn’t notice he wasn’t there, either.”

“Well, that is a little maddening, I’m sure. He’ll get over it, Jim. Just let him stew and think.”

The two men finished up the bar and Simon left for the evening. Jim went upstairs and looked at the messages on the machine and saw there was one message. He hit play and heard:

“Jimmy, it’s Carolyn. I’m in town and wondered if you would like to go to dinner tonight or tomorrow night. I have a hotel room and you can stay over with me if you want to. I’ve missed you. Hope to hear from you soon.” 

The message was from this morning, so Blair would have heard it. But, why would Blair be angry at Jim? He didn’t ask Carolyn to call him. He didn’t even know she was in town. Blair was being unfair and Jim was very angry. 

He got his phone back out and dialed Blair again. He was pissed and figured he would piss Blair off at the same time. No sense in just one of them not sleeping. 

“Sandburg.”

“Sandburg, I can’t believe you’re pissed off because my ex-wife called. That’s a new low for even you.”

“Don’t you call me Sandburg, you prick.”

“What in the hell did I do? I didn’t do anything,” Jim shouted into the phone. 

“I’ll tell you what you did, you asshole. You never told your ex-wife that you were with me. You told me three years ago that you were going to tell her and you didn’t. That to me says something is wrong.”

“Stop calling me names, Blair. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell her about us. It just never came up. Why are you so angry? It’s not like I want to sleep with her.”

“She sure as hell wants to sleep with you, Jim. And she wouldn’t if she had known about us. But you kept it a big secret, like it’s something nasty dirty or something. I don’t want to talk to you anymore tonight. I’m afraid I’ll break up with you.”

“Oh fuck you, Blair. You’re being overly dramatic.”

“Goodnight, Jim. I’ll come home when I plan on it.”

“Don’t bother and by the way, you’re the prick.” Jim shut his phone and went into their bedroom and lay down on the bed. 

The phone rang in the house and the answering machine picked up. “So, you’re breaking up with me over the phone? Way to go, Ellison. Have a nice life. I’ll get my things tomorrow.”

A very sad Jim picked the phone up and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. Come home tomorrow and we’ll talk. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell Carolyn. Try and get some sleep.” Jim then hung up on Blair because Jim was about ready to lose it. 

_What are you going to do, Ellison, cry?_

Jim took a shower and slipped into their big empty bed and curled up around Blair’s pillow. He knew he had fucked up the best thing that ever happened in his life. 

The phone rang in the house again and it was Carolyn. _Jimmy, call me when you get a chance. I just found out about you. We need to talk._

_Oh goody, another person I have to answer to._

Jim looked at the clock at four a.m. and that was the last time he remembered seeing it, so he was exhausted when the phone started ringing at seven in the morning.

He picked up the extension in their room and said, “What?”

“Jimmy, don’t use that tone with me. I want to know why I’m the last person on earth to find out about you and Sandburg?” 

“Did you ever think maybe it was because it’s none of your business?” Jim spat out. 

“You probably fucked around on me while we were married. I can’t believe you did this,” a weepy sounding Carolyn said. 

“Carolyn, I never screwed around on you when we were married. I promise. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I forgot to tell you. You moved out of the city and it slipped my mind.”

“It slipped your mind that you suddenly liked to be with men?” 

Jim held the phone out, her voice was hurting his ears. “I’ve been bi for years, Carolyn. Before you, there was a cop in traffic that I was with. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was important.”

“And to think I was going to ask you to get back with me and have a family. Boy, do I feel stupid.”

“Carolyn, we don’t love each other, why would I want to have a family with someone I don’t love?”

“Silly me, I still love you, so I thought you might still love me. I won’t call again.”

“Goodbye, Carolyn.” Jim lay back down and did deep breathing exercises to relax. He was ready to have a stroke or something. 

He dialed Blair’s phone and Blair answered, “I told you I would talk to you tonight.”

“Blair, I just wanted to let you know that Carolyn knows about us.”

“Yes, I know. She called me in the middle of the night and called me names. She thinks I stole you away from her, now.”

“I’m sorry, Chief. Please come home. I need to see you.”

“Did you even notice that I took clothes and a suitcase?” Blair asked. 

Jim was shocked, but lied. “Yes, I noticed. Now, please come home.”

“I’ll see you tonight, Jim. We’ll talk then.”

“I wanted to tell you that Simon and I hired a waitress. I don’t want to shock you, too.”

“Good. It’s about time. I’ll see you tonight.” Blair hung up and went into the shower to get ready for classes. 

Jim didn’t like how Blair sounded. He didn’t sound like a man that was going to forgive his lover, instead he sounded like a man that was thinking about leaving for good. _Oh fuck… I can’t believe I did this shit to him._ A tired, but depressed and sad Sentinel got up out of bed and got dressed. He was going to throw himself at Blair’s feet and beg for forgiveness. He didn’t care who saw it, he was going to do it at the university and that’s all there was to it. 

Jim got ready and left and waited outside the university until Blair drove up. 

As soon as he drove in, Blair knew Jim was there. Not that he saw the SUV, but Blair could feel him. It was something new that Blair had just started feeling when he got in the same area as Jim. It always made his heart race and it was doing that again. _I wonder if Jim can sense when I’m here._

Blair got out of his car and started walking up the sidewalk as Jim walked to him. “Chief, I need to talk to you. Could you slow down?”

“No, I have classes in ten minutes. I don’t want to be late.”

“Can I wait in the back of your classroom? I won’t bother you, I promise.”

“This is a free country, man. You can do whatever you want to do. But, I’m not forgiving you.” 

“Ever? Or today?” Jim wondered aloud. 

“Ever? Really, Jim. We practically married and you ask that?” 

Jim smiled at him and said, “That’s what we need to do is get married. Send out invitations and everything. Brother Marcus could marry us, couldn’t he?”

“So, now you want to get married?”

“I’ve always wanted to, Blair. Can I sit in the back of your class?”

“Yes, you can. And yes, I’ll marry you. Think on dates while you’re sitting in class.”

“I will, Chief. I will. Am I out of reverse?” 

“Jim, you are so far out of reverse, we don’t even need to talk about that anymore. Come on, I have a class to teach. You have dates to work out. Oh, by the way, can you sense when I drove up before you saw me? Or do you actually have to see me first?”

“I always know when you’re there. I felt you when you drove up just now, why?”

“Because, I can now sense it, too. And I for one am excited about that. Now, take my hand, you big lug and we’ll talk after class.”

Jim took his hand and they walked hand in hand to the classroom, making all of the students smile. 

TBC


	22. A New Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys make up and plan a wedding.  
> Warnings: none.

A New Shift  
Part 22 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: The boys make up and plan a wedding.  
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 1833

 

When Simon walked into the bar that night he expected to see Jim all upset, but instead he saw Jim smiling and singing while getting things ready to open. _Okay, so things must be okay with them._

“Hi, Jim. I take it things worked out for you and Blair.”

“Hi, Simon. Things have never been better. Guess who’s getting married?”

“I would guess, it would be you?” Simon asked, laughing. 

“We decided on two months from now. That gives us enough time to plan it and save up for a honeymoon. We want to go on a cruise to Alaska. Isn’t that cool?”

“Jim, I do believe this is the happiest I’ve seen you in ages. What brought this on?”

“Blair and I were going to break up over Carolyn not knowing about us, and then I begged and pleaded and he forgave me. Carolyn, however hates my guts.”

Simon laughed. “What in the hell does Carolyn have to do with anything?”

Jim filled Simon in on what happened while they got the bar all set up to open. Simon was thrilled that they didn’t break up, because most of their friends thought of them as forever friends. Not just for a while friends. 

Jim opened the front door and Mary was standing there waiting. “Mary, you have to let us know you’re there.” Jim teased. 

“Actually, I was just getting ready to knock when you unlocked it. I’m raring to go. Did I do a good job last night?”

“You did. Simon and I are really happy with you. Keep up the good work,” Jim said, patting her on the back. 

“How is your dad doing, Mary?” 

“He’s good, said to tell you he’ll be over when he finishes work. He did ask me to ask you and Jim if you would watch out for me. He’s not wild about me working in a bar, but figures if it has to be one, might as well be a nice one.”

“If you have any problems at all, you come to us, Mary,” Simon assured her. 

“Oh, I will. Not to worry, guys. Now, what should I do now?”

“Put your apron on and wipe the tables off once more for luck,” Jim joked. 

Mary laughed and did as told. She’d no sooner finished when the phone rang and she picked it up. “Jim’s Place, may I help you?”

“You must be Mary. This is Blair, can I talk to Jim, please?”

“I’ll get him, Blair.” She handed the phone to Jim and smiled. 

“Hey Chief. What’s going on?”

“I made some Rice Krispy Treats and I need help carrying them down. I made up seven batches. Want to come up and help?”

“I’ll be right up, babe,” Jim said, smiling. He hung up the phone and said, “I have to go and help bring dessert down.”

“Oh goody, dessert. That always boosts sales,” Simon stated. 

“My dad loves when Blair makes dessert. Can I call him and tell him to hurry?” Mary asked Simon. 

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Hey Dad? There is going to be dessert tonight, so you might want to come in soon.”

Mary got off the phone and she laughed. “He wanted me to save him something because he’s right in the middle of a huge sale.”

“You can take some and put them in the back for him if you want to, Mary. We sort of make our own rules as we go,” Simon kidded. 

“Thanks, Simon. I will save him one.”

Jim and Blair came walking into the bar carrying tons of Rice Krispy Treats and Simon said, “I love those. You couldn’t have picked anything better for me.”

“I aim to please,” Blair said. 

“Let’s leave one batch in the back for Tiny and his crew. They have something big going on and they love dessert. So, that would be nice.”

Simon decided to do the introductions. “Blair, this here is our new waitress, Mary Miller. Wait until you see how much she helps.”

“It’s good to meet you, Mary.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, too, Blair.”

“Was that thunder, I hear?” Jim asked. 

“I don’t hear anything,” Simon swore. 

“A storm is moving in, I can feel it,” Jim said. 

Mary wondered if he always predicted the weather or just that night. Because he no sooner said that and the rain started. 

“How much for the Treats, Blair?” Mary wondered. 

“I figured a dollar a piece would be great. That’ll turn us a good profit and not cheat the customers, I don’t think,” Blair said. 

“Sounds good to me. Here we go,” Mary said as six people walked into the bar. 

Blair turned to Jim and said, “My God, you didn’t tell me how young she was.”

“She’s 21. That’s all we cared about, right, Simon?”

“Right. And she’s a hard worker.”

Blair went behind and bar and helped Jim make up the drinks for Mary’s first order of the evening. He put everything on the tray and she lifted it like she’d been doing it for years. Blair was impressed. It probably helped that she wasn’t a scrawny girl at all. She had meat and muscle on her bones. 

Simon walked up to Blair and said, “I hear that someone we know is going on a cruise in two months. Whose idea was that?”

Blair laughed and said, “We’ve both always wanted to go to Alaska, so this makes it easier to go on our honeymoon. Jim, I booked our rooms today and it’s a suite.”

“Whoa! Can we afford that?” Jim asked. 

“I didn’t care, Jim. This is our honeymoon. We’re worth it,” Blair teased. 

Mary came back with two orders for two different tables. The three of them helped get everything made and she took them to the tables. Jim would give her a receipt with each order and she would bring back the receipt with the cash or credit card. They showed Mary how to work the credit cards. The Rice Krispy Treats were going like hotcakes. Mary was selling them right and left. 

“So, what cruise line are you taking?” Simon asked, Blair. 

“Royal Caribbean International. I’ve heard good things about them and they are fairly reasonable.”

“I can’t wait, Chief.”

“It’ll be here before you know it, Babe.” Blair assured him. 

The evening was going well. Tiny came in and asked for Rice Krispy Treats first thing. A customer had told him he had some over there. 

She gave Jim her dad’s order with four treats on it and Jim laughed. He liked to see the treats go, but not to all one person. 

As the evening went on, Jim noticed that Blair was watching Mary like a hawk. “Hey Chief, do I need to be worried?” 

“I’m making sure that the customers are good to her and no one touches her. She’s so damn young,” Blair said. 

Tiny walked up and said, “Blair I see you keeping an eye out on Mary. Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“We won’t let anyone mistreat her, Tiny. You have our word,” Blair promised. 

At about ten, the treats were all sold out and Mary was able to catch up with cleaning the tables off. It had finally died down a little. Blair walked up to her and said, “You haven’t had a break at all. Why don’t you go and sit with your dad for a while and take a load off.”

“I don’t want to, Blair. I’ll sit at the bar, but not with my dad. I don’t want people to make fun of me.”

“Okay, but just take a break. I’m not talking you have to sit for a half-hour, just ten minutes or a little more.”

“Thank you,” she answered, “Could I possibly have a soda?”

“What kind?” Blair asked. 

“Dr. Pepper will do me just fine.” 

“One Dr. Pepper coming up,” Blair said as he went behind the bar to take care of it. 

Jim walked over and said, “That’s my drink of choice, too, Mary.”

“I noticed that we sell a lot of Dr. Pepper to the patrons that don’t drink.”

Simon cleared tables and washed them down while Mary was on break and when she came back from break, there was nothing to do.

“You did all my work, Simon. Don’t do that again, please?”

“Okay, unless you’re behind and need help. Then, you’ll let me, right?” Simon asked. 

“Yes, then I would let you help me.”

Finally at midnight, the last of the patrons had left and Mary was catching up with cleaning things and said goodnight for the evening. 

Blair had left at about ten and was waiting upstairs for Jim. 

Simon looked over and saw Jim working behind the bar and said, “Jim, go ahead and take off for the night. I’ll see that everything gets locked up and the money put into the safe. Go on, go and make up with Blair.”

“Thanks, Simon. You’re the best.”

Jim took his apron off and said goodbye and almost ran up the stairs. He was excited to see his lover. They hadn’t had much time that afternoon, because Blair had the classes and then Jim had to get downstairs and get things ready. Jim hoped that Blair would still be awake. 

He unlocked the front door, closed it and locked it behind him. Blair was sitting on the sofa, naked and hard. _Just the way I like him._

“Excited, Chief?”

“Yeah, I am. I got to thinking about the cruise and all the fun we’re going to have and it got me a little hot and bothered. I’ve been hard for about an hour now.”

Jim walked over to Blair without saying another word and slid down to the floor and took Blair’s cock into his warm inviting mouth. All that could be heard was Blair moaning in appreciation. Blair put his hands on either side of Jim’s head and showed him exactly how he wanted it down and what speed, when suddenly Jim took him in deeper causing Blair to shoot his come down Jim’s very talented throat. There had been no warning because Blair didn’t even get a warning.   
Jim moved away from Blair, licking his lips and said, “You taste so good, Chief.”

Blair pulled him up to his lips and they began to kiss. In a few moments, Blair was getting interested again and Jim said, “Me, or my mouth?”

“I want to be inside you, Jim. Let’s go to bed. I’m going to show you who you belong to and you’ll never want to argue with me again about anything.”

Jim got off the floor and walked with Blair into the bedroom. All that could be heard from the bedroom after that were moans, groans and begging. Yes, Blair always made Jim beg. 

TBC


	23. Shifting on Board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go on a cruise until they are ready to explode. Who knew a cruise could be this much fun?  
> Warnings: none.

Shifting on Board  
Part 23 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: The boys go on a cruise until they are ready to explode. Who knew a cruise could be this much fun?  
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2084

 

Jim and Blair left from Seattle to go on their eight day cruise to Alaska. Everyone said their goodbye’s the night before and they were there bright and early to get everything set to load their things on board. 

“I love Seattle,” Jim said, smiling. 

“Man, I do too. It’s a beautiful city, that’s for sure. And now it’s our target city for Cruise Central.”

“Cruise Central?” Jim laughed out loud at that. 

“Yeah, I think we need a name for the city where we’re taking off and being dropped off again.” Blair was in bounce mode, ever since they arrived at the port. 

“You excited, Chief?

“Man, I could vibrate the ship at this rate.” Blair snickered at his little joke and Jim laughed with him. 

There was a man behind them and he said, “First time cruising?” 

Jim stared at him for a moment until he saw that he had a wedding ring on and decided he was okay. “Yes, this is our first Cruise.”

Another man walked up and said, “Is he bothering you? He has to talk to people all the time.”

The first man smiled at the second man and then kissed him, sweetly. Jim was relieved again to see they wouldn’t be the only two guys in love on board. 

Blair said, “No, he wasn’t bothering us at all. We were just starting to talk. I’m so keyed up, it took my mind off of things for now. It was nice. My name is Blair and this is my better half, Jim.”

The shorter guy stepped up and said, “And I’m Chase and this is my better half, Matt. We’re from Cascade. Where are you guys from?”

Before Jim could answer, Blair said, “Wow, what a small world. We’re from Cascade, too.”

“What do you do for a living, Jim?” Chase asked. He reminded Jim of Blair a little bit. Shorter, longer hair and cute as can be. Matt on the other hand, was Jim’s height and built even bigger than Jim was. And like Jim, Matt was receding in his hair line, too. 

Jim smiled and said, “I own a bar in Cascade called Jim’s Place. It’s downtown and it’s a great bar. Blair is a College Professor at Rainier University.”

“Wow, we’re impressed. Matt is a cop and I’m an EMT,” Chase said, easily. 

“Small world again. Jim used to be a cop until he retired some time ago. He’s much happier now,” Blair said. 

“What deck are you guys on?” Chase asked Blair. 

“Deck ten. Suite 1078 to be exact,” Blair disclosed and Jim was in shock. It was much more than he would have said. 

“We’re on deck ten also, but we’re just in a really nice room with a balcony. We can’t wait to get on there and eat, drink and relax,” Chase said. 

Matt looked at Jim and said, “Does Blair talk all the time, too?”

“You know it,” Jim teased, hugging Blair in place. Then Jim kissed the top of his head as Blair was trying to get out of the hold he had on him. Blair was so wound up that Jim knew he had to do something. 

“What time are you eating in the evenings?” Chase asked Blair. 

“We picked the later setting, because we’re going to be on excursions until late every day. So, it’s 8:30 every night, I think.”

“That’s what time we’ll be eating, too. Maybe we could sit at the same table as you guys. You do know they put different people together at the same table, right?” Chase wondered if anyone had told them. 

“No, we didn’t know that. We asked for a table for two,” Jim said, frowning. 

“Jim, it’ll be fine. Stop worrying about it. Besides, maybe we’ll get put at the same table as Chase and Matt. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Blair asked. 

They started checking everyone in and Blair only thought he was excited. Jim thought he was going to have to knock him out before they got on the ship. 

“Jim, let’s go to the bar first thing and have a drink to see us off. How does that sound?” 

“Sounds perfect, Blair.”

They checked them in and the boys headed up to the ship. “Oh, my God, it’s a lot bigger in person, isn’t it? It’s almost scary,” Blair said. 

Jim hugged him to try and calm him down. It seemed to help a little bit. The crew members told them where to go and they each took their bag and headed straight for the bar. Jim was no fool, he read the signs while they were waiting in line. He knew exactly where they were going. 

“Come on, Chief, follow me. I know where we’re going.”

Blair grabbed Jim’s hand and said, “Slow down, Jim. My legs aren’t as long as yours.”

When they walked into the bar, it was full already. Jim managed to grab a table for four and said, “In case Chase and Matt want to join us. I know you’re very social, so we’ll make it work.”

Blair smiled at Jim for being such a sport. Blair saw Chase and Matt walk into the bar and he called out to Chase. They walked over and Blair said, “It’s a full house. Want to share the table with us?”

“Sure, that would be nice. Wouldn’t it, Matt?” Chase asked. 

Jim felt sorry for Matt. He could tell he was quieter and almost shy and Chase wasn’t standing for it at all. 

“What are you going to do first?” Blair asked. 

“The first thing they do is have a fire drill and overboard type test. I don’t mean they throw us overboard, they tell us where to go if we need to leave the ship.” Chase said, laughing. 

Blair laughed too. “And then we can do whatever we want?”

“We’re going to check out our room after the fire drill and that’ll be nice. A little down time and alone time,” Matt said, quietly. 

“I hear that,” Jim agreed. 

Blair looked at Jim like he was insane. “We’re not going to check the ship out, Jim?”

“Sure, after we check out room out. We got a suite for a reason, Chief.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Blair said. 

Jim knew he had screwed up already. Sighing, Jim said, “We’ll check all the decks out first with the brochure and then we’ll have lunch and back to our cabin.”

“Not that sounds like a fine, plan.” Blair hugged Jim. He was so damned excited, he could hardly stand it. 

Once the fire drill was over with, they walked around getting the feel for the ship. Then they went to the Windjammer Café and had lunch. Jim ate a big lunch, but Blair ate a salad, instead. Blair could tell that Jim was going to be eating anything and everything since it was all free. The thought alone made Blair smile. 

“Chief, they have a jogging path on the top of the ship, so I’ll run every morning before you get up. And if you want to run with me, you’re more than welcome.”

“I have a feeling we’re going to need it with the food. I’ve been hearing about the wonderful meals on the ship, so am looking forward to those.”

“Blair, let’s stop at the Viking Crown Lounge and get some drinks. I know you wouldn’t turn down a Peach Bellini, right?”

“Would you, Jim?”

“Can’t say as I’ve ever tasted one. Maybe I’ll try today,” Jim said, smiling. 

They walked into the lounge and ordered two Peach Bellini’s and went and sat at a table. Jim looked at Blair and smiled, big time. “This is really good, Blair. Why haven’t I tried one before?”

“I think you told me it was a wussy drink,” Blair teased. 

“I take it all back. I’m going to get another one for our cabin when we’re done with this. That’s if you want to go to our cabin with me.”

“Jim, I would follow you anywhere, babe.”

They ordered two more and walked to their cabin. Blair could hardly wait to see how small the rooms were because everyone told them horror stories about how small the spaces were. When they walked in they were both pleasantly surprised. The suite was very large and had a fairly large bathroom, which shocked Jim. Jim tried the bed out and said, “Comfy. Let’s put our drinks down and try out the bed.” Jim wiggled his eyebrows up and down, making Blair laugh. 

“Jim, we have only been here five minutes and you already want to jump my bones?”  
“Got a problem with that, Chief?”

“Not at all.” Blair set his drink down next to Jim’s and joined Jim on the bed. It was comfy and they had an excellent time breaking in the bed. 

Each day and night brought new experiences and happiness. They were having the time of their life. When the cruise was over, they were bummed. 

They had spent some time with Matt and Chase, but not too much. Jim thought they were odd. Blair figured there was a reason he felt that way and didn’t push. 

When they got off the ship, they took a cab to the airport to fly home. They couldn’t wait to get back to their apartment. 

Simon picked them up at the Cascade Airport and hugged them both. 

“Boy, you guys are a sight for sore eyes. I missed you both. And Jim, I don’t know how you ran the bar by yourself for so long. It’s sort of too busy for one person. Thank God, I had Mary to work every day you were gone. That helped a lot.”

“It is a lot of work. That’s why I told you that you could close and open at your leisure. Now, you know why.” Jim smiled at Simon. “Thank you for taking over for us. We had an excellent honeymoon.”

“I want to hear all about it. Well, not all about it. Some things aren’t meant to be shared,” Simon joked.

On the drive home, Blair bent Simon’s ear telling him all about the cruise, the food, the drinks, the shows, the swimming and the excursions that had gone on. Blair was in his height of glory telling Simon all about it.

Jim just closed his eyes and rested until they got home. Simon looked in the rear-view mirror and asked, “Jim, are you all right?”

“Just tired, Simon.”

“Maybe you should have tonight off,” Simon suggested. 

Blair smiled at Jim and Jim said, “Thanks, Simon, but I want to get back to work again.”

“Oh, the boys stopped by the other day and told me to tell you both hello when I saw you next. They were hoping for a game of one on one.”

“We need to plan another trip, but we’re going to have to take time off again. Can you handle it, Simon? I could always get another person to help, too.”

“Yeah, maybe we could have Rafe step in while you go camping again with the boys. I know how much you all loved that. Just let me know ahead of time,” Simon stated. 

When Simon dropped them off, they thanked him and Jim said, “See you this afternoon.”

“Welcome back,” Simon shouted out the window as he drove off. 

“It’s good to be back, isn’t it?” Jim asked. 

“Yeah, but I could have easily stayed another week. I was having a very good time.”

“I was too, Chief. But, I missed our bed, our house, our lives and the boys. I really like, Joe, Tony, Daniel, Chris, Pete and Paul. They’re not only good kids, but fun kids. Do we want to do something different with them or just camping?” 

“Let’s let them decide, Jim. One day at a time. We just got back. Let’s not plan something already. Let’s wait for a month or so. We’ve still got a month before school starts, so that’ll work out perfectly.”

“Would you like to go upstairs and break in our old bed?” Jim asked. 

Blair started up the stairs and said, “Last one up is the bottom.”

All that could be heard was laughter and love. 

TBC


	24. Sadly Shifting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another camping story, except this one will be very serious. It ends well, I promise.  
> Warnings: some angst.

Sadly Shifting  
Part 24 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Another camping story, except this one will be very serious. It ends well, I promise.  
Warnings: some angst.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2236

Jim and Blair had made plans to take all the boys up to the cabin again for five days and were waiting for the boys to show up. It was about 4:45 in the morning and they were raring to go. 

Megan walked in and said, “Plans have changed. There was a shooting and Joe and Daniel have been shot.” Both men looked closer to see that Megan had been crying. “They are up in intensive care at the hospital and they think Daniel might make it, but not sure on Joe.” 

Jim locked up the bar after he turned the alarm on and said, “We’ll go up now.”

“Thank you, it would mean the world to their mother’s. They are so sad and upset. And now the other boys of course won’t go without these two, so no one will have a good time.”

“Megan, you go home and we’ll go up to the hospital. Be with Henri and get some rest,” Jim ordered. 

“I’ll do that. You boys take care of my friends. I know that they’re your friends too.”

During the drive to the hospital, Blair said, “I can’t imagine how Sarah and Judy feel. My god, to have your sons shot is awful. Thank God, they’ll have Nancy, Carla and Susan to be with all the time. Friends are the most important thing in the world during times like this.”

Jim pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and found a spot not too far from the door. They hurried and rushed up to ICU. They knew everyone would be in the waiting room and sure enough, that’s where all the boys were with their mom’s. Sarah and Judy were absent. Jim figured they must be with the doctor. 

Tony, Chris, Pete and Paul all hugged Jim and Blair and stayed there for a long while. Blair could tell they were more upset then they had ever been in their young lives. 

Then Jim and Blair hugged Tony’s mom, Nancy, Chris’s mom, Carla and the twin’s mom, Susan. 

Jim asked, “Has anyone heard any news yet?”

Nancy started to cry and said, “They’re giving Sarah a hard time because she doesn’t have insurance. Do you believe it? Her son is fighting for his life and they’re worried about the fucking insurance. Excuse my language.”

Jim walked out and asked to see someone in charge. When they called the nurse in charge, Jim said, “I’ll pay the entire bill. I don’t want this family bothered by any of this again. Am I understood?”

“We’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars, sir,” the nurse said. 

Jim looked at her tag and saw her name was Melissa. “Well, Melissa, I have a trust fund that has lots of money in it. I haven’t touched it since I was born, so there is a lot. Let me give you an imprint of my credit card. And I want you to tell Sarah that she doesn’t have to worry about anything. Please tell her that right now.”

Everyone in the waiting room heard and they couldn’t believe that Jim was paying for this. 

_And since when does he have a trust fund?_ Blair wondered. 

He walked back in and sat down with Blair and the boys and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later on, Chief. It’s not important now.”

They all sat and held each other’s hands and waited for news on the boys. Sarah came walking into the room and saw Jim and went right into his arms and started to cry. Everyone thought this meant something bad had happened. Jim said, “Tell me what happened.”

“First of all, I’m crying because I’m happy. Joe is doing pretty well and they expect a full recovery. Daniel is being moved to another floor, he’s doing so well. So, things are looking up. And then they informed me that my guardian angels paid the hospital bill for me. Thank you so much, Jim and Blair. Now, let’s sit down and I’ll tell you what happened.”

Blair moved and let Sarah sit where he was and he started pacing. “Blair, they’re going to be just fine. They promised me,” Sarah assured him. 

“I got off work and Joe had the car to finish some last minute running for the camping trip and he and Daniel came to pick me up at midnight. It’s in a rough part of town, but I never really worried about it because there is a lot of lights on the street and I felt somewhat safe. A man told us to get out of the car and when Joe tried to fight them off, they shot him and then shot Daniel. Then they took off in my car. I called 911 right away, but it took them an hour to get to that neighborhood. They tried to say it didn’t take that long, but it did. I know you used to be a cop, Jim, but I hated them at that moment. But when the EMT got there, they took over and I felt a little better. I called Judy and told her I’d meet her up here and we’ve been here ever since.”

“Sarah, we had no idea you worked in a bad neighborhood. You won’t from now on. You’ll work at our bar and we’ll pay you a good wage. You never have to worry about having the boys in a rough neighborhood again,” Blair said. 

Jim wondered what she would be doing for them, but decided he would ask Blair later.

Blair smiled at her again and asked, “Is there anything we can do for you now?”

“Just being here, means the world to me, Blair. Megan was such a help earlier. Now, to have you boys here is fantastic. Joe and Daniel will be thrilled when they wake up.”

Judy came walking into the room and smiled. “Good news. They’re moving Daniel to the surgical floor and he’ll stay there a day and then to the medical floor from there. He’s awake and very irritated. Things are looking up, Sarah. It’ll only be a matter of time and Joe will be leaving ICU, too. You just wait and see.”

The women all stood up and hugged Judy and then Jim and Blair did the same thing. Before long, Judy left to be with Daniel and Blair went with her. Jim stayed in ICU with Sarah, until they heard something positive about Joe. 

The doctor came in and said, “Sarah, we’re getting ready to move Joe to surgical floor. He’s much better than he was two hours ago and he’ll do just fine there. Everyone can either go down there or they can leave and come back later, during official visiting hours. They are from ten to eight. I’ll come for you when we’re moving him.”

Sarah hugged Jim and then Carla and Susan. She was so happy about it. She sat back down by Jim and said, “I know Blair feels responsible for us, but he isn’t. You don’t have to give me a job.”

Jim looked at her and smiled. “What do you do at your job, now?”

“I’m the night janitor. I love it, no one bothers me and I get to clean. I love a clean place, so it’s a perfect job for me.”

“We’ve been talking about hiring someone that could clean after us, but didn’t know where to start. Seriously, if you want the job. It would be a little later than the job you have now. It would be from 8:00 until 2:00 in the morning. Do you think you could work that shift? You would get pretty good wages, but you’ll get insurance, which is worth a lot, am I right?” Jim smiled, but not at Sarah, at hearing them taking Joe downstairs. He was bitching and moaning the entire time, which made Jim almost laugh. 

“Oh my God. I would get insurance? Joe and I could be covered for the rest of our lives, or until you retire, one or the other.” Sarah was very happy. 

The doctor poked his head in and said, “The hospital would like everyone to come back during visiting hours, except Sarah. You come with me. They moved him downstairs.”

“Sarah, you take a week off and we’ll see you next week. You take care of your son and we’ll see how he’s doing each day and plan the trip again,” Jim said. 

Jim hugged everyone and said goodbye and then went down to surgical floor. He didn’t need to ask where it was. He heard Blair’s heartbeat from the elevator. Jim couldn’t believe how keen his senses were that night, it was like he was in protective mode. 

He walked into Daniel’s room and saw a smiling Daniel looking at him. “Where is everyone?” Jim asked, knowing full well where everyone was. 

“They went down to get me a soda at the end of the hall. Thank you for coming along, Jim. My mom sure appreciates it.”

“Daniel, where does your mom work?” 

“She works at Kentucky Fried Chicken, over near Sarah’s job. Why?”

“Because Joel is looking for someone to help run his grocery store and I bet your mom would be good at it,” Jim said. 

“She would love that. She hates that part of town, but she’s never found anything closer or better than that.”

Judy walked in with Blair and hugged Jim. “Thank you for keeping him company. The soda machine was farther than we figured.”

“Mom, Jim said Joel is looking for someone to help run his grocery store and thought you would be perfect for the job. What do you think of that?”

“I think that would be awesome, if Joel offered me a job, but he hasn’t said anything, so we’ll not get too excited.” She answered. 

“I’ll talk to him today, Judy,” Jim assured her. 

“Well, we better get going,” Blair said. 

“Yes, you get some rest, both of you,” Jim ordered. 

Daniel smiled and said, “Bye. Thanks for coming up. You guys are the best.”

When they got into the elevator, Blair asked, “When did Joel say that he needed help?”

“At poker the other night, he mentioned it to me.”

“That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?” Blair asked. “By the way, since when do you have a trust fund?”

“I’ve had it since I was born. My mother’s parents were very well to do and they left it in trust. I’ve never touched it. There is probably a couple of million there. I don’t like to talk about it because I didn’t want you to stay with me because of the money.” Jim snickered and Blair pulled him down for a kiss before they got off the elevator. 

“Just for that, I will stay with you,” Blair joked. 

The drive home was quiet. Both men were thinking about how horrible it would have been to lose either of the boys. They meant the world to both of them. 

When they got home, Jim said, “Let’s go down to Joel’s and get some ice cream and ask him about the job that Judy would be perfect for.”

“Okay, you talked me into it. But you’re paying, rich man.” Blair knew there was some good teasing to be had in the next few weeks. 

They walked in and saw the store was quite busy for a Monday morning. Joel smiled at them and then frowned when he realized they weren’t camping after all. Joel walked over to them and asked, “What happened?”

Jim filled him in on what had happened and how the boys were by then. Then he told him about Judy needing a job closer to home and Joel said, “Tell her she’s hired. I had no idea she worked on that side of town. We need to keep our little family in this area.”

Jim smiled at that. It was true. It was nice having everyone close by and where you could watch them and help them. 

Blair told Jim that it was because of his Sentinel senses. Jim felt like he needed to guard the tribe. And he did a good job of doing that. 

Sarah started working for Jim and Blair right away. She wanted something to keep her busy while Joe was in the hospital. And Judy started working for Joel and that was working out well, too. Things were really looking up. 

**Two Weeks Later**

The boys got to go home and the doctor said they could go on a camping trip as long as they rested every day for at least an hour. So, they rescheduled the plans and were off on a Monday like nothing had happened. Jim took three of them and Blair took the other three. 

They talked non-stop because this time they knew what to expect, not to mention they knew Jim and Blair better now, too. It was going to be a great vacation and just in time because school would be starting back in two weeks. Jim was going to make this work. 

He and Blair made sure that they had the time of their lives. 

And they did. 

TBC


	25. Shifting into Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Judy do working for Joel? Why is Joel acting so odd?

Shifting into Love  
Part 25 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: How does Judy do working for Joel? Why is Joel acting so odd?   
Warnings: none.   
Genre: No slash talk tonight.   
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2518

Daniel’s mom, Judy had been working for Joel for six weeks and wondered what was different with him lately. He was acting very strange. Judy was afraid that maybe she wasn’t doing a good job and Joel was afraid to fire her. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She called Blair Sandburg to ask his opinion. 

“Sandburg,” came the cheery response when she called him. 

“Blair, this is Judy. I need to talk to someone. Are you home?”

“Yes, I’m upstairs, grading papers. What’s going on?” he asked. 

“Could I possibly stop by and talk to you?”

“Come right now, I’ve got time. I’m not going downstairs tonight, so I have all evening.”

“I’m so glad. I’m downstairs in the parking lot, so I’ll be right there.” Blair waited a few minutes and the buzzer, buzzed and he pushed it for her to come up. Once she got to the door, she knocked and Blair let her in. 

Blair hugged her and said, “Come on, sit down on the sofa and tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m so glad you were here. I have a problem. Joel won’t look at me at work anymore. I catch him watching me and then he stares at the floor, instead of saying something to me. I’m afraid I’m not doing a good job and might need to start looking elsewhere,” Judy explained. 

Blair laughed. “Well, he talks about you non-stop when he’s at poker. He says what a good job you’re doing and what a great mother you are to Daniel. So, I don’t think that’s the problem, but I can guess what the problem is.”

“Oh tell me, because I’m lost.”

“He’s watching you because you’re an attractive person and he might be interested in asking you out,” Blair said. 

“Me? I’m overweight and not that attractive, Blair. Why would he be willing to date me?”  
“It might be because he knows you inside and out now. He’s gotten used to the inner beauty and might have fallen in love with you. Why don’t you ask him out and see if he doesn’t jump at the chance?”

“And what if you’re wrong and he turns me down, Blair?”

“Then, nothing is lost. You can resume doing things as they are now. I bet he says yes.”

“Blair, I have no idea what to do on a date. I’m almost 40 years old and out of practice. I haven’t been with anyone since Daniel’s dad left me. That was 6 years ago. He’s stayed out of my life and Daniels and I don’t know how to act with a man anymore.”

“You go out to eat to a nice restaurant and then ask him back for dessert and coffee. And that would be the first date. Nothing more, nothing less. Hopefully you would get a first kiss out of it. Does it bother you that he’s black?”

“No, that doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just nervous about the next steps,” she said, snickering nervously. 

“Don’t worry about the next steps yet. Those will come later on. Instead focus on having a good time and getting to know Joel personally. He’s a really nice guy and I think you’re going to like him outside of work. He would be a wonderful step-dad for Daniel.”

“Blair, don’t get carried away. We aren’t even sure he feels that way about me, yet.”

“I’m sure. You had to have heard him talking about you at poker night. Everyone was teasing him. He said he was too old to have anyone interested in him, but we told him age is a state of mind.”

“He’s not too old at all. I really like him and would love to go out with him. I’d be a little nervous about it though. What if we didn’t click? And then I would lose my job,” Judy said. 

“Talk to Daniel about it first and then ask Joel out. It doesn’t have to be anywhere fancy. Hell, you could even ask him for drinks at the bar. That’s still a date, right?” Blair asked. 

“Oh, I like that idea. Then, I wouldn’t be so nervous if Jim and Simon were both there, too.”

“There you go. Now, go and talk to Daniel,” Blair instructed. 

Judy hugged Blair and said, “I’m going to go and talk to Daniel right now. He’s just getting home from school.”

“Good luck, Judy. Let me know if you need help with anything at all,” Blair offered. 

“Thank you, Blair. You’ve become one of my best friends in the world. Right up there with Sarah. And that’s high praise, indeed.”

“I count you as my friend, too, Judy. Now, go take care of business.”

Judy laughed all the way down the stairs. She found herself wondering how Daniel would feel about a man in her life. He had never seen one since his dad, so he might not like it at all. It would all depend on Daniel’s attitude towards the idea.

*

Judy came walking into their apartment and Daniel smiled at his mom. “Hi Mom, how was your day off?”

“It was educational, to say the least. Could I talk to you for a little bit?”

“Mom, you can talk to me any time you want to,” Daniel assured her. 

“Daniel how would you feel if I asked a man out on a date? And what if that man happened to be Joel?”

Judy watched Daniels face and didn’t see disgust or disappointment. She saw the smile light up his face and this made her feel wonderful.

“Wow, Mom that would be great. I really like Joel and I think he would treat you really well. And that’s something you’re not used to because Dad was mean to you. I’m so glad he deserted us both. I’m better without him in my life. But it would be nice to have a guy to talk to now and then. When are you going out?”

“Oh, Daniel you are so sweet. I haven’t asked him yet. I wanted to see if you would be on board about it first. Now, I’ll ask him out and see if he says yes.”

“He’s going to say yes. He watches you all the time. It’s cute. He thinks you’re pretty, Mom.”

“I must be blind. Blair told me the same thing, more or less and I’ve never seen it.”

“Go ask him out today. And then come back and tell me what he said. We need milk and bread, anyhow. Would you like me to go with you?”

Looking mortified, Judy said, “No…”

“Okay, go and ask him. Good luck, Mom.”

Judy kissed her sweet son and hugged him close. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She left the apartment and walked to the store. They had moved closer to the store and Daniel’s school. It was working out much better.   
Joel was stocking the shelves at the store when the bell went off and he saw it was Judy. He stood up and smiled at her. “Judy, what brings you here on your day off?”

“Daniel said we need milk and bread. So, I figured I would walk down and talk to you about something, too. Do you have a moment?” Judy asked, nervously. 

“I always have time for you, Judy. Now, what can I help with?”

“Would you like to go to Jim’s Place tonight and have a few drinks with me? Then you could come to the apartment and have cake and coffee.”

“Are you asking me on a date?” Joel asked, quite surprised by the turn of events. 

“Yes, would you be interested in that?”

“Thank you, I would love to go out tonight. Should we meet there, or do you want me to pick you up?” Joel asked. 

“We could meet there, because everything is within walking distance. My apartment is one block over to the east. We’ll meet there at 6:30, how does that sound?”

Joel smiled at her and asked, “Did Blair tell you I was interested?”

“Yes and it gave me the courage to ask you out.”

“I’m very glad. And Daniel is okay with this? I don’t want to upset, Daniel.”

“You’re such a good man, Joel. Daniel told me to ask while I was here getting milk and bread. So, yes, he’s on board about it. He said it would be nice to have a man around.”

Joel just beamed with happiness and joy. “Come on, let’s get your groceries taken care of and then we’ll meet tonight.”

“Thank you, Joel. You made it quite easy on me. I’m excited.”

“I am too, Judy. We’re going to have fun.”

Judy picked up bread, milk and a cake mix to make up for that night. She was looking at all of the different ones and he said, “My favorite is Angel Food. Have you ever made it?”

“Do we have fresh strawberries today?” Judy asked as she grabbed the Angel Food cake mix and headed over to the fruit department. 

“We just got a load of fresh fruit. There are blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Take your pick, or take all of them and mix them,” Joel suggested. 

Judy got everything she needed and paid for it all up front. Joel tried to tell her she didn’t have to and she pointed out that it would show up on the inventory. She wanted to do this right. Joel appreciated her looking out for him and his store. 

She grabbed her bags and said, “I’ll see you at 6:30, Joel. Have a good day.”

Joel smiled after she left and began to sing as he started stocking once again. This was indeed his lucky day. He had been so lonely lately, but it looked like things were looking up.

*

Judy walked into Jim’s Place at 6:30 and saw that Joel wasn’t there yet. She sat in a booth, instead of a table, because it was more romantic, she thought. She smiled when she saw him walk in. 

Jim called out hello and saw that Joel was walking towards Judy and smiled. _I’ll be damned._

Joel slid across from Judy and smiled and touched her hand, gently. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look very handsome tonight. What do you like to drink?” Judy asked. 

“I like anything and everything. Maybe we could start out with a Peach Bellini. Blair swears by them,” Joel suggested. 

“I’ve never had one. That sounds like a winner.”

Mary, the waitress took their order and brought their drinks back within moments. Joel paid and Judy said, “I thought I asked you out?”

“I want to pay, Judy. No arguments on our first date.” 

Judy found it reassuring to hear him say our first date. So, he might plan on more with her. This was fine with her. 

They sat and tasted the drinks and both agreed that Blair had excellent taste and ordered another two. Joel couldn’t get over how well they were getting along as a couple. 

Jim and Simon watched from the bar and Simon was the first to say, “They make a cute couple.”

“Yeah, they do, Simon. I’m glad they both have a chance at some fun in their lives. Lord knows, they could both use it.”

Judy decided to ask some questions. “Joel, have you ever been married before?”

“Yes, I was married for ten years. She left me for a friend of ours and I’ve never seen her since. We never had any children.”

“I was married for six years and we’ve been divorced for about six. He just up and deserted me and Daniel one day. We’ve never seen him since,” Judy explained. 

“Looks like we’re both in the same boat. Afraid to take a chance with anyone because it might not work out, right?” Joel asked. 

“Exactly. It’s a worry, Joel. And one I worry about with us, too.”

“It won’t be the same because we’re different kinds of people then they were. I don’t have a deserting bone in my body,” Joel admitted. 

“Same here. We might just have a chance then, Joel.”

“How about dinner tomorrow night at The Outback?” Joel asked. 

“I love the Outback. I was there once and the food was pretty darn good. I would love to go.”

“I’ll pick you and Daniel up at 6:00. How does that sound?”

“Oh Joel, you don’t have to take Daniel, too.”

“I’m sort-of dating the entire family if you know what I mean. We’ll have other dates for just the two of us, but tomorrow night, Daniel comes along.”

“You are the sweetest man I have ever met. May I kiss you?” Judy asked. 

Joel leaned across the booth and kissed her gently and then pulled back and smiled. Judy was smiling, too. Things were going even better than either of them had hoped. 

Jim walked up to the booth with two Peach Bellini’s and said, “This will have to be ‘your’ drink. It seems to be a hit. Have a good time. This ones on the house.”

“Thank you, Jim,” Judy called out after him. 

“He’s the best,” Joel said. 

“Yes, he is. We all are lucky to have him in our lives. I feel that way about this entire neighborhood. We’re all so close. Makes me feel much safer, you know?”

Joel smiled. “Yes, I feel the same way. I love my place above the store. It’s just perfect. It’s large enough to entertain if I want but yet, not too big. I’ll have you and Daniel over some night for dinner.”

“That would be lovely, Joel. Thank you for asking us out for tomorrow night. Daniel is going to be thrilled to be included.”

Both of them excused themselves to go to the restroom. Three Peach Bellini’s will do that to a person. Once they sat back down, it was like they were a couple for years. 

“After three of these drinks, I think we should walk to your place and get some air. What do you think?” Joel asked. 

“I would love a nice walk. Perfect way to end the evening. I’m ready whenever you are,” Judy said, smiling. 

They both said goodbye to Jim, Simon and Mary. Sarah was there by that time, also. She was shocked to see Joel and Judy together, but happy for both of them. 

Joel walked Judy home and kissed her outside of her door. He said, “We’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“Yes, you will.” Judy answered, snickering. “It’s sort of weird that I work with you. Does that bother you at all, Joel?”

“Not in the least. Now, have a good night’s sleep and we’ll see you tomorrow. I had a wonderful time with you tonight. Thank you.”

“What about dessert?” Judy asked. 

“Save it for tomorrow night, if you don’t mind,” Joel said. 

“See you tomorrow,” Judy said as she leaned in and kissed him once more. Then she opened up her door and walked in. 

Joel left the apartment building feeling like a million bucks. He had been so lonely. Thankfully, that might be over with. 

And it was. 

TBC


	26. A Family Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Blair decide on something new. They never thought they would decide on this, but sometimes things change.

A Family Shift  
Part 26 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Jim and Blair decide on something new. They never thought they would decide on this, but sometimes things change.  
Warnings: none.  
Genre: Slash.  
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2618

 

Blair was at the university grading papers when there was a knock at the door. 

“Come in,” he called out from inside his office. 

Carrie Martin walked in and said, “Do you have time to talk?”

“Sure, Carrie. Is this about your paper? Because I already graded it and it’s excellent as always.”

She had big tears in her eyes and said, “No, this is about my parents. The reason I missed two days last week was because they were in a car accident. It was a bad one. They passed away, two days ago.”

“Carrie, why didn’t you call me? I could have waited on the term paper. My God, you poor thing,” Blair said as he walked around his desk and hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Carrie. Now, what can I do for you?”

“Can I sit down? This might take a while. Please don’t feel obligated or anything like that, but I wanted to talk to you about my family. I have no grandparents on either side left. No aunts or uncles because my parents were only children and I’m left with a major decision and I truly hope that you and Jim can help me with it.”

“Jim and I would help you with anything, Carrie. Now, tell us what you need.”

“I have two sisters that are twins and are six. They will be left to me and honestly, I don’t think I’m up to the task. I was hoping that you and Jim would consider adopting them. I’ve talked to a woman from the state that says you would have to qualify first, but I don’t see why you wouldn’t. You’re a born leader, teacher and one that could probably love them. I’m in no position to do any of those things. Right now, I just want to get college done with and I can’t taking care of Jillian and Molly. We call Jillian, Jilly for short. They are very nice girls and I’m sure you would like them a lot. Do you think you could at least talk to Jim about it?”

“Let me tell you a little about us, Carrie,” Blair started and she interrupted and said, “I already know you live over a bar. I know that Jim works nights at the bar and you do sometimes. I know this. Couldn’t you somehow make it work?”

“Carrie, why in the world would you choose us, when there are probably a ton of couples that would love to adopt them?” 

“Because, I know you and how you act around people. I want them to have a wonderful life and I truly believe that you and Jim could show them how it’s done. I’m very dysfunctional. Mind you, I would hope that you don’t mind if I see them now and then, but I think you and Jim would be perfect parents.”

“I honestly don’t know how to answer this. I’m honored that you asked us, but I don’t think you thought it through all the way,” Blair decided. 

“Please tell me that you’ll at least ask Jim about it before you shoot the idea down?”

“Okay, I’ll ask him tonight. But, I’m fairly certain of what he’s going to say.”

Carrie took out a card and gave it to Blair. “This is my house phone, my cell phone and our address if you would like to meet the girls. I’ve already told them about you. They aren’t opposed to it. They know, I can’t take care of them. I just turned eighteen. I’m too young and I want them to have a real life.”

Blair took the card with the numbers and said, “I’ll talk to Jim tonight and let you know tomorrow. I’m truly sorry about your parents, Carrie.”

“Thank you. Take your time. With the break in classes, I’m able to care for them right now. But not a month from now.”

“We will think on it and not hurry our decision. Thank you for thinking so highly of us.”

Carrie left the office and Blair sat down and just let out a huge sigh. _What will Jim think of all this?_

Blair finished grading the papers and posted the grades before he left. Then he went out to his car and headed home. He had no idea how to even bring this up to Jim.

*

Blair’s phone went off when he was in the garage below their house. He answered, “Hello?”

“Hey, Chief. How are you? You’re later than usual. Is everything all right?”

“Not really, Jim. Do you think you could leave Simon and Mary to handle things while you come upstairs for a talk with me?”  
“Are we all right?” Jim asked, panicking right away. 

“We’re fine, Jim. It’s something else. Come upstairs when you have the time. I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll be up in a little bit,” Jim promised. 

Blair unloaded all of his things onto the table and looked around their apartment and realized, it was a very nice apartment. They had enough room for the girls. But, did they have enough room in their hearts for them?

Jim walked through the doorway and saw the look of sadness on Blair’s face and said, “My God, did something happen to my dad?”

“No, Jim. Stop guessing. Sit down and I’ll tell you what’s on my mind.” Blair patted the sofa cushion near him and Jim sat down nervously. 

Blair began to tell Jim everything that had transpired that day. He didn’t leave out anything and waited for Jim to respond. Now, it was Blair’s turn to be nervous. 

Jim saw the anxious look on Blair’s face and asked, “You want to do this, don’t you?”

“I thought about it all the way home and I think we could do it. We might have to change our lives a little bit, but that’s not the end of the world. What do you think of this idea?”

Jim looked at him and said, “Let’s meet the girls and let them decide. They may not like us, and then we don’t have to even think about it. But, I think we could do it, also. We’re good people, we would make excellent dads.”

“Okay. I’ll call Carrie and let her know we want to meet the girls and for them to meet us. Should we go to their house, or should they come here?” Blair asked. 

“Let’s do up the spare room in twin beds and have them come over and see the apartment and see if they could live her before we make any more plans at all,” Jim suggested. 

“I’ll take care of that tonight while you’re working. We’ll put the full sized bed in storage and go from there.”

“I’ll help you. Six year old girls. You’re sure about this Blair?”

“Hell, I’m nervous as hell. But, I like the idea that their sister trusts us enough to ask us to do it. That says a lot about us as a couple, Jim.”

“Do you know who we have to contact at the state?” Jim asked. 

“It’s in the card with her numbers. She put everything in it that we would need. I can call tomorrow and ask questions and set up an appointment.”

“Let me call Simon and tell him I won’t be returning tonight. I’ll be back,” Jim kidded as he walked to the phone and dialed the bar. 

Once that was taken care of, Jim and Blair decided to go shopping for beds and bedding for six year old girls. 

“Jim, I think we should take Megan with us. She would probably be able to tell us what six year olds like or don’t like. Don’t you think?”

“Call her and see is she’s free for shopping,” Jim agreed. 

Blair did just that and told her why and Jim could hear the squeal of delight from across the room. This made him smile. He noticed that Blair was smiling, too. 

They picked Megan up and went shopping and got everything you would need for a six year old. Or rather, two six year olds. Everything except clothes. They didn’t know the sizes yet and decided that would be jinxing the entire thing anyway. 

Once they got home, Megan helped them do up the room and moved the bed over to Megan’s spare room at the shelter. Jim was glad that he didn’t have to rent a storage unit for one item. Once the room was done, they stood back and looked at it and they all smiled. 

Megan was the first one to say something. “There is no way a little girl wouldn’t love this room.”

“I hope so,” Jim said. 

“It turned out very cute and I’m glad that you helped us, Megan. Thank you.”

“I hope it works out, mates. I want my first child to have some relatives close by.”

Jim asked, “You’re pregnant?”

“Yup. Only Henri knows so far. I’m only 8 weeks along. But, this is very exciting.”

Blair hugged her really hard and said, “Congratulations, Megan. I’m so glad to hear this news. Do you care what you have?”

“As long as he or she is healthy, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ve really gained a lot of weight, so I have a feeling this baby might be large.” 

Blair looked at her closely and said, “I’ll be damned. You already have a bump.”

“I know, right? Henri is so excited for the ultrasound. We’re doing that next week.”

“He wants a little girl. He said it would make his mama very happy and we like to see Mama Brown happy,” Megan teased. “I’ve got things to do, so you boys meet these little ones and I wish you all the luck in the world.”

“Thank you, Megan,” Jim said. 

Blair smiled and hugged her once again. “Good luck with the ultrasound.”

As soon as she was gone, Blair got the number out and called Carrie. “Why don’t you bring the girls over to our apartment and we’ll see if they like us or would mind living here?”

“We’ll be right there. How do you get upstairs?” Carrie asked. 

Blair told her how and then got off the phone. “Why am I so nervous?” Blair wondered. 

“Because, they may not like us at all, Blair. They might want a mom and a dad instead of two dads.”

“That’s true. Well, we’ll know soon enough. And then we have to qualify at the state before we get them. So, I hate to get too excited.”

About ten minutes later, the buzzer rang and Blair buzzed them upstairs. He wiped his sweaty hand on the sides of his pants and noticed Jim was doing the same thing. 

Blair opened the door and saw two of the cutest little girls, he had ever seen. They were not identical. They saw that Jilly had blond hair and Molly had red hair. They were a little shy, but warmed up after about ten minutes. 

Jim said, “Carrie, I’m very sorry about your parents.”

“Thank you, Jim. I knew you would be.”

Blair stood up and said, “Jilly and Molly, would you like to see the room that you would be sharing?”

Both girls stood up and said, “Yes.”

Even Carrie went and looked at the room and was impressed that Jim and Blair had done it up so nicely for the girls. 

“This is a nice apartment, Jim and Blair,” Molly said. 

Jim smiled and answered, “Thank you, Molly. The kitchen is very nice and large. There is enough room for all of us. Including Carrie for dinners.”  
Blair just smiled at Jim for being so damn thoughtful. He shouldn’t have been surprised. 

“So, Carrie could come and see us now and then?” Jilly asked. 

“She can come anytime she would like to,” Blair promised. 

Carrie took a card out of her purse and gave it to Jim and said, “I talked to her tonight and she said for you and Blair to stop by in the morning and she’ll see you right away. She thinks it might go pretty quickly.”

“How do you feel about living with two guys, Jilly and Molly?” Jim asked. 

“Carrie told us how nice you both are. She told us about a week ago and we don’t mind at all.”

Blair said, “The school nearby is a really good one. So, there is that, also.”

“We go to that school, already. Carrie said it’s the same one,” Molly said. 

“We’re in first grade,” Jilly added. 

“Let us give Ms. Parker a call tomorrow and we’ll take it from there,” Blair promised. 

“Do you think you could like us?” Molly asked. 

“We already like you,” Blair assured her. 

“Carrie said you would say that. She knows you and Jim really well. She said she likes you two better than anyone,” Jilly said. 

Carried stood up and said, “Well, we better get. It’s time for bed for all of us.”

“Goodnight, girls. Sleep well,” Jim wished. 

The girls both smiled and hugged Jim’s leg. Then they did the same thing to Blair. Jim and Blair were almost moved to tears by this. Carrie hugged both men and said, “Thank you for considering this. We’ll find out and go from there.”

Blair walked her to the door and said, “Drive careful and we’ll talk to you in the next week or so.”

Everyone said their goodbyes and Jim and Blair hated letting them go home with Carrie. They wanted them to move in right then. 

After Jim heard them take off down the road, he said, “Let’s go downstairs and tell Simon and Mary about this.”  
“Okay, but we still have a long way to go, Jim.”

*

**Five Weeks Later:**

Everyone was waiting at Jim and Blair’s apartment for them to bring the girls home. They had all let themselves in and made themselves at home. They all brought food and drink for the party and couldn’t wait to meet Jilly and Molly. 

Carrie followed them over for the party and Jim was pleased about that. It was nice that she would be taking part in their lives instead of just letting them go. 

When Jim opened up the door the twins stood right next to Blair and Jim because they were frightened of all the people in the apartment. Jim started introducing all of their friends to the girls and as the day went on, they started to warm up to them. Grandpa Ellison was there too, so this was something new for the girls, also.

Blair was going to take them every day to school and drop them off and pick them up at the end of the school day. All in all, it would work out pretty well. 

Megan announced to everyone about her being pregnant, so that Jilly and Molly would have cousins and this made everyone happy, including the little girls. 

After everyone left for the evening, Jim and Blair got the girls ready for bed and Jim walked Carrie down to her car. She hugged him and told him she loved him for doing this for the girls. Jim was quite moved by that and couldn’t wait to tell Blair. Little did he know that she had already told Blair the same thing earlier. 

Each week their lives got a little easier and more filled with love, laughter and life. Jim and Blair couldn’t picture their old lives any longer and this was fine by them. 

TBC


	27. Shifting into Being a Grandparent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does William and Naomi feel about having Grandchildren? A look into family life. A little angst, but happy ending in sight.

Shifting into Being a Grandparent  
Part 27 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: How does William and Naomi feel about having Grandchildren? A look into family life. A little angst, but happy ending in sight.   
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash.   
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 1988

William got up to answer the doorbell and found Naomi standing on his doorstep. “Hello, Naomi, what a lovely surprise.”

“William, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. I’m now a Grandmother and wanted to check out these children that Blair wrote and told me about. I wanted to know if I could stay with you. They probably gave my room up to the girls, I would guess.”

“Yes, they did, Naomi. Come on in. Where is your luggage? We’ll bring it on in. You can make yourself at home here, anytime.”

“This is all I have for now,” Naomi said. 

“Come in and welcome.”

“Thank you, William. Were you as shocked by this as I was? I thought they said no children? I wonder what changed their minds.”

William smiled and said, “Give the girls about five minutes after meeting them and you’ll see why they changed their minds. Molly and Jilly are both darling children. They aren’t identical, so we don’t have to worry about telling them apart. They love Jim and Blair. And their older sister, Carrie, comes every Sunday for lunch before Jim leaves to open up the bar. They have it all worked out for someone being with the girls at all times when they can’t be home. Jim and Blair are quite taken with Molly and Jilly.”

Naomi looked thoughtful for a moment, frowned and then asked, “Do you think that they’ll be able to give them as good a life as a couple that own a house? I mean, William, they live downtown, above a bar. What kind of lifestyle is that for them?”

Now it was William’s turn to frown. “You aren’t happy about Blair becoming a father, are you?”

“Not with Jim. I think these two girls have had enough heartbreak and should have real parents.”

“You know what, Naomi. I’ve changed my mind. There is a hotel down town not too far from the bar and I’ll drop you off there to stay. I don’t care for your attitude. I can tell you’re going to upset Blair and Jim and they don’t deserve to be.”

“Oh, this is priceless. Just because I don’t agree with them, you’re kicking me out?” Naomi was shocked. 

“Yes, Naomi. I haven’t got time for negativity in my life. Right now I am filled with positive flow and that’s how I’d like to keep it.”

“Could you call me a cab?” Naomi asked. 

“I’ll take you and drop you off. Please try not to say upsetting things in front of the girls. It’s only been two months and they’re just settling in.”

“I’ll give it much thought before I say anything to either of the men. But, I can call my son and see him privately anytime I choose. I think he needs to give it some more thought,” Naomi said. 

“Come on, I’ll take you now,” William said and opened up the door and led the way to his car out in front. He drove her to the hotel that was very nice and said his goodbyes and then drove off before he even saw if she got in the door or not. He didn’t much care.   
He then drove to the bar and parked in the parking lot. 

Walking into the bar, the regulars called out, “Hello William.” Which made William smile. It was nice that they all knew who he was. 

He sat at the bar and Jim asked, “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me nothing.”

“I just had it out with Naomi. She’s not happy about you two becoming parents and has quite an attitude about it. She wanted to stay with me, but I told her no. I dropped her off at the hotel about a mile from here.”

“Why would she be upset about us being parents?” Jim wondered. 

“Maybe she’s jealous of the fact that no one asked her. Maybe she doesn’t like sharing Blair with anyone but you. Maybe she’s pissed because she can’t stay with you anymore. It could be any of those things, Jimmy.”

“Thank you for sticking up for us, Dad. I know this hasn’t been easy for you, either. To suddenly have two grandchildren must be quite the change,” Jim answered. 

“It’s a welcome, change, Jimmy. I love those girls. I wouldn’t change anything. I even love Carrie. She’s such a nice young woman.”

“You’re the best, Dad. How about a drink?”

“I could use a cup of coffee, but nothing stronger. I drove,” William said, easily. 

“One cup of coffee coming up,” Jim replied and went to get it. 

“I couldn’t help overhearing about Naomi, William. That’s too bad. I hope she doesn’t make for trouble in front of the girls,” Simon stated, seriously. 

“I told her that and she got quite snotty with me about how she could talk to Blair all alone. It was her right.”

Jim set the coffee down and said, “No one say anything to Blair.”

“Jimmy, I think you should warn him. He’ll be picking the girls up and will be alone with no support,” William reminded him. 

“I’ll give him a call now. Thanks, Dad. I wasn’t thinking.” Jim walked into the kitchen and dialed Blair’s number. 

“Sandburg…”

“Hey Chief, I have some good news and bad news.”

“Bad news first,” Blair said. 

“Your mom is here and is pissed off that we adopted two little girls. She’s not happy with the living arrangement. She told my dad that we were being selfish and weren’t thinking straight.”

“So, this is the good and bad news, am I right?”

“Yes, Chief. The good is she’s in town, the bad is she’s not happy with either of us. She thinks the girls need real parents.”

“Fuck her. I don’t care what she thinks, Jim. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything when I talk to her. See you later,” Blair assured him. 

“See you at dinner time, Chief. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Jim.” Blair hung up his phone and called his mom. 

“Sweetie, I was just getting ready to call you. Did William tell you I was in town?”

“No, William told Jim. Jim called me and told me. I figured you were still out of the country and that’s why you hadn’t answered any of my emails or regular mail. I hear you’re not happy with us being parents and I have to tell you Naomi that I’m disappointed in you. You always raised me to believe I could do anything and I’m doing exactly that.”  
“I’m going to come over to talk to you later tonight. Those little girls will probably be sleeping by then.”

“No, you’re not welcome in our home if you have negative thoughts about us raising the girls. Their names are Molly and Jilly. They are just settling in to their new life and doing beautifully. They’re so happy and just darling. If you gave them half a chance, you would see that for yourself.”

“Well, can I meet you elsewhere? Maybe tomorrow morning after you take them to school?” Naomi asked. 

“That would be fine. I don’t have classes until ten. So, you can be here at 8:30 in the morning. You’ll have an hour, Naomi. But know that we are settled into this life and nothing is going to change.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then. Love you, sweetie,” Naomi said before she hung up and was disappointed when Blair didn’t say it back. _Things have changed already._

*

The following morning, Jim took the girls to school so Blair would be there in case Naomi showed up early. And of course she did. 

“Blair honey, you look wonderful,” Naomi said as she pulled the man into her loving arms. 

Blair was taken off guard for a moment and then remembered that she wanted him to give up his children. Wasn’t going to happen. No way, no how.

“Normally, it would be good to see you, too, Naomi. But now I know that you want us to break our little family up and it’s not going to happen.”

“Sweetie, you’re not thinking about the girls.”

“We did think about the girls. We gave this a lot of thought, not to mention that their big sister is a student of mine and wanted us to have the girls. She trusted us that much. She thought we could do a better job of raising them than anyone. She was behind us all the way. Not to mention that Jilly and Molly wanted us to adopt them, too. They’re very happy, Naomi. I really wish you’d meet them and give us all a chance. It’s time for you to shift into being a grandparent. If you don’t feel like giving us all a chance, then you wasted your time and ours in coming for this visit.”

“Blair honey, are you telling me that there is no discussion about this?”

“Yes, Mom, that’s what I’m saying. Look at the pictures we have on the walls now. This is our new life,” Blair pointed to the pictures hanging on the wall that were huge with Jim and Blair with each of the girls. 

“They are very cute girls. And they do look happy. But did you think about them having a woman in their life when they get a little older?” She wondered. 

“They’ll have their older sister, Carrie in their lives forever and I was hoping you would be there, too.”

“Me?” Naomi looked somewhat surprised. 

“Yes, we told them all about you and how great you were. They can’t wait to meet you. Molly said that she’s never had a Grandma, so she’s very excited.”

Naomi got up and paced and kept looking at the pictures on the wall. “They do look like lovely girls. And you and Jim have never looked happier. Maybe I was wrong. I would like to meet them tonight. Could I?”

“Yes. You could come for dinner tonight. Jim comes up every night for dinner to be with the girls and me. It would be a nice family moment. We could ask William, too. If you wouldn’t mind,” Blair said. 

“Yes, ask William. The children should have both Grandparents around them every chance they get.”

Jim was outside the door listening to the entire conversation and smiled. Blair was good. Jim opened up the door and said, “Naomi, it’s good to see you. Where’s my hug?”

She got up and almost flew into his arms. “It’s very good to see you, Jim. I’m coming for dinner tonight and will meet your daughters for the first time. I’m finding myself looking forward to it. At first, I thought this entire thing was a bad idea, but I saw these pictures on the wall of you, Blair and the girls and I now know that you made the right choice. And as Blair said, it’s time for me to shift into being a grandparent. Now, I can’t wait.”

“Mom, I’ll take you to your hotel room and you can relax until tonight when I pick you up. The girls are going to be so excited.”

“Good… I’m glad to hear this. Now, you better take me, before you’re late for your classes,” Naomi said, smiling. 

Jim kissed Blair goodbye and then hugged Naomi. “It’s really great seeing you, Naomi.”

“See you tonight, Jim.” Naomi and Blair walked out the door and Jim shut it behind them, almost laughing. Blair was good. He was very good. Jim didn’t know why he was worried, after all, this was Blair in dad mode. 

Things would work out perfectly. 

And they did just that. 

TBC


	28. Shifting into a New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Jim, Blair, Molly and Jilly. How are things going for all of them? A nice little glimpse.

Shifting into a New Life  
Part 28 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: A day in the life of Jim, Blair, Molly and Jilly. How are things going for all of them? A nice little glimpse.   
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash.   
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 1609

Jim, Blair and the girls were getting into a routine with Jim coming home every night he worked to spend dinner time with them. He took some time out to help with homework and just spend quality time with both Molly and Jilly. They had made friends with a family two blocks away and Blair had taken them for play dates, twice. Things were just running along much smoother than they would have ever expected them to. 

On Monday, Jim was off, so that meant, family time. He planned something for when the girls got out of school and when Blair got home from classes. He thought it would be nice if they met William and went to the zoo. The girls both loved the zoo and Jim wanted them to be happy. He called William, while the girls were still in school for the day. 

“Ellison,” William answered. 

“Hi, Dad. I was calling to see if you felt like going to the zoo today for a few hours with us.”

“Jimmy, normally I would say yes to the zoo, but there is a new children’s museum opening up and I think we should check it out. What do you think of that?” William asked. 

“Where is a new museum?” Jim wondered. 

“On Fourth and Pekoe Street. They opened it up and it’s a Curious George Museum. Both of the girls mentioned they liked Curious George, so I thought maybe this would be a perfect outing.”

“That does sound perfect, Dad. They love Curious George. They are learning to read on the Curious George beginning readers. So, this would work for learning and fun. Thank you for thinking of them.”

“You are most welcome, Jimmy. Are you going to pick me up or do you want us to meet there?” William asked. 

“We’ll pick you up, we’ll go to the museum and then we’ll grab dinner after the fun. Sounds like a perfect night to me,” Jim said. 

“I totally agree, Jimmy. I’ll be ready by three. Just give me a call when you’re ready to pick me up.”

“Thanks, Dad. See you soon,” Jim answered. 

Jim dialed Blair’s cell and heard, “Hi, what ya wearing?”

Jim burst out laughing and said, “I have to go and pick up the girls, so I thought it would be nice if I was dressed.”

“Dang, I was hoping for some dirty phone talk,” Blair teased. 

“I actually called to see how you felt about taking the girls to the new Curious George Museum this afternoon when you get home. I’ve already invited their Grandpa. Dad’s the one that told me about the new museum. What do you think about it?”

Blair smiled into the phone and said, “It sounds perfect, Jim. The girls will love that. Should I invite Carrie, or just our two tonight?”

“It’s totally up to you, Blair. I enjoy Carrie’s company and I think she rather enjoys being around my dad. Your call, babe.”

“In that case, I think we should just have the five of us go and then to dinner. How does that sound, Jim?”

“Sounds perfect. There may even be a restaurant on the museum site. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, call and see if it does have one and we can plan on it. You can check if we need reservations or not. This is going to be so much fun, Jim.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. See you in a few hours, Blair. Drive carefully.”

Jim never tired of hearing his lover’s voice. Especially now, that they didn’t have as much free time as they used to. Now, he looked forward to hearing his voice any time of the day. And Blair seemed to enjoy Jim the exact same way.

*

Jim picked Molly and Jilly up at school and they were both quite excited. 

Molly giggled and said, “Jim, there is a new museum in town. Do you think we could see it this weekend?”

“Are you talking about the Curious George Museum?” Jim asked. 

Jilly said, “How did you know that? It’s brand new. Our teacher just told us about it today. We want to see it in the worst way.”

“Your Grandpa called today and told me about it. So, we’re all going to go and have dinner at the Curious George restaurant. Doesn’t that sound like fun? We’ll take lots of pictures.”

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/curiousgeorge_zps6aa735f3.jpg.html)

The girls started bouncing in their seats and Jim smiled into the rear-view mirror. They reminded him of Blair in so many ways. They loved learning and going to new places. Just like Blair did. Not to mention, they bounced and jittered just like Blair did all the time. 

They got home and both girls ran into their room and found their Curious George tee-shirts and got them on. They were both so excited. When Blair came walking into the apartment, they came flying out of their room laughing and talking, wearing their new shirts Blair had bought them. 

“I see that someone is excited,” Blair said. 

“We are too, Blair,” Molly said, smiling. 

Jim burst out laughing and said, “I guess I was the first one excited. Too bad I don’t have a tee-shirt.”

“Maybe Blair can buy you one, Jim,” Jilly said, happily. 

“I think I can. We’ll look when we get there,” Blair said. “Is everyone ready and waiting on me?”

“Yes!” Both of the girls yelled out. 

“Let me wash my hands and face and then we’ll take off. I’m excited, too.” Blair went into the bathroom trying to hide the huge smile he was wearing and new it was no good to even try. 

He came back out and the three of them were standing by the front door, waiting. This made Blair laugh. “Jim, are you as excited as they are?”

“Hey, we have reservations at the dinner theater. It’s a dinner and a show. It’s going to be great. You wait and see,” Jim explained. 

“I can’t wait, Jim,” Jilly said. 

Molly laughed and said, “Come on, Blair. Grandpa is waiting on us.”

They drove over and picked up their Grandpa and were off to the museum. The girls were talking non-stop in the back seat with Grandpa and Grandpa was doing his fair share of talking, too.

When they drove up, it looked pretty busy. Jim said, “You stay with us at all times. There will be no wandering off. Understood?”

“Yes!” They both answered, again. 

Jim paid for everyone to get into the museum and then they started at the beginning and went to the end before it was dinner time. 

Molly asked, “Is it almost time to eat? I’m starving.”

Jim smiled and looked at his watch. “We can head over there now. It’s this way.” They all followed Jim and Jilly. Molly was holding on to Blair for dear life. Molly was a little more cautious when it came to strangers. Jilly was quite friendly with everyone. This sometimes worried all of them, but it was part of Jilly’s personality. 

“Jilly, do you always call Jim, Jim?” William wondered. 

“Yes. For right now. Our sister told us that we can call them both dad when we feel good about it.”

“I see,” William answered. 

Molly said, “But, we always call you Grandpa. We’ve never had a Grandpa before. So, that was pretty exciting.”

“I like it when you call me Grandpa. Makes me feel all happy inside,” William replied. 

They walked into the dinner theater and they were taken to their seats. The show started and food was brought out to the tables. Everyone was dressed in costumes and it was cute as can be. The food was nothing to write home about, but the girls were loving it. Jim already knew that they would have to stop at WonderBurger on the way home for the three adults.

Once the singing, dancing and eating was over with everyone clapped and got up to leave. Jilly said, “This was the most fun I think I’ve ever had.”

Molly hugged her sister close and said, “I think so, too.”

As they drove home the girls started falling asleep and this made William and the boys smile. Everyone had had a good time. 

Jim did stop at WonderBurger and got all of them a meal to go. They dropped William off at his house and then drove to their apartment to get the girls settled into bed. After all, it was a school night.

Jim carried the girls upstairs, while Blair carried their meals and opened the front door. Once they got the girls awake, they had them take a bath, did their hair and got them into bed by 8:30. They had made it in plenty of time. 

Once they were sleeping, the boys sat in the living room eating their WonderBurger and kept smiling at each other. This had been an excellent day. 

“I love you, man,” Blair said as he kissed Jim. 

“And I love you, Blair.”

Before long, they got to go to bed, too. And Jim reminded Blair of how much he loved him that night. It was the first time they had sex with the girls there and it went just fine. Blair was thrilled and realized, it was another milestone they had passed. 

TBC


	29. The Babysitting Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megan spends the day with Molly and Jilly and leaves Jim and Blair to play basketball with the boys and take them to a movie.

The Babysitting Shift  
Part 29 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Megan spends the day with Molly and Jilly and leaves Jim and Blair to play basketball with the boys and take them to a movie.   
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash.   
Rating: Teen  
Word Count: 2010

 

Lately, Megan noticed that Jim and Blair seemed to have some things on their mind. She finally decided to ask them before she opened her shop. She went up to their apartment and knocked on the door. She had the code to get past the buzzer. 

“Hey, Megan, come on in,” Blair said as he opened up the door. 

“Where’s Jimbo?” she asked. 

“He’s sleeping, why?” Blair answered. 

“I wanted to see if something was wrong with you guys. You act like something is going on and I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Wow, you’re good. No one else has noticed. We do have some things on our minds and need to talk to you about some of them,” Blair admitted. 

Jim walked out and said, “It’s really hard to sleep with you two yakking all the time.” At least he smiled when he said it, though. 

“Good morning, Jimbo. How are you?” 

“I’m good Megan, just tired. We’re sort of getting pulled in a lot of different directions and are stuck right now. We don’t know what to do.”

Megan sat down and said, “Sit and tell me all about it.”

“We’d sort of like to get a sitter for the girls and we don’t know how to approach that,” Blair confessed. 

“You ask me to come over and I say yes. It’s that simple,” Megan answered. 

“We’d like to take the boys all out for dinner and a movie one night, either tonight or Tuesday, but we don’t know how that would go over with Molly and Jilly. What do you think of that?” Jim asked. 

“I think this is an excellent idea. The boys have missed you, they told their moms and their moms told me. So, they would love it and I would adore babysitting the girls.”

“Are you sure?” Blair asked. “You work all day long and you’ll be tired.”

“I’m going to bring a project for them to work on and we’ll paint something. It’ll keep us all busy while you’re gone. They won’t even notice that you’re missing,” Megan promised. 

Jim laughed. “I’m not sure we want to take it that far, Megan. We’d like them to miss us a little bit.”

“Call the boys now and make the plans. I’m going to pick out an art project at my store for the girls and myself. We’re going to have a blast.”

Blair called all of the boys and they made plans to see a movie and have dinner on Tuesday night. 

Jim was very excited about it. “It sounds weird, I know, but we’ve missed them like crazy. And we just didn’t know how to handle spending time with them and the girls at different times.”

“You can also do dinner some night with them and the girls. It’s not like they hate girls or anything,” Megan reminded them both. 

“That’s true,” Blair agreed. 

“Where are you taking them for dinner?” Megan asked. 

“I was thinking pizza,” Blair said. “Then we’d hit the movie right afterwards and see the new Iron Man film.”

“Oh, the second one is out, isn’t it?” Megan asked. 

Blair smiled and said, “We can’t wait to see it. And all of the boys love Marvel. So, it’s going to be great.”

“Do you mind if I take Molly and Jilly to a movie this weekend? I’d like to see Ice Age and don’t want to drag Henry along. He’s not that big on cartoons,” Megan said, smiling. 

“They would love that, Megan. And you’re sure you feel up to it, right?” Jim asked, showing nothing but concern for his dear friend. 

“Jimbo, I’m not the first person to ever be pregnant. And I won’t be the last. Stop worrying about me. Maybe the girls and I will paint wall hangings for the new baby. Oh, that’s a great idea. Gosh, I’m full of good ideas today. Well, I better get to the shop and open or someone will call Henry.”

“It’s funny how everyone worries about each other, isn’t it?” Jim asked. 

“This is a wonderful environment to bring the girls up in. I can’t wait for baby Brown to get here. In fact, we find out next week what the sex is. We’re very excited about that. But for right now, I was thinking giraffe’s and elephant’s for the walls. What do you think of that?” 

Blair was practically bouncing by this time. “I’m excited about the entire thing. I think you’re having a boy. I just feel like calling the baby him all the time, so it makes me wonder.”

“Wow, and I’m doing the opposite. I think it’s a girl. What do you think, Jim?”

“Hey, I think you need to wait for the ultrasound. Stop being so antsy about everything. This baby is going to be healthy and loved. That’s all that matters,” Jim said. 

“Oh my gosh, you know what it is, don’t you?” Megan asked getting very excited. 

“I’m not telling you. Wait until the doctor tells you.”

“You know, Sandy, he is no fun anymore?”

“I don’t know, I still think he’s pretty fun sometimes,” Blair said, making Jim blush. 

“Okay, off I go. Have a good day off, boys. See you tomorrow night. Oh, what time?” Megan asked. 

“How about as soon as you close the shop?” Blair wondered. “I’ll be sure and make dinner for the three of you, too.” 

“That’s perfect. See you both tomorrow. Have a great day. Love you both,” Megan called out as she flew down the stairs. 

“God, I wish she’s be more careful on the stairs. I’m so afraid of her falling and hurting either herself or the baby,” Jim confessed. 

“You’re a worry wart. Let’s go back to bed,” Blair said, wiggling his eyebrows like crazy. 

No one had to tell Jim twice.

*

**Tuesday Night**

Jim and Blair had explained everything about the evening to Molly and Jilly and they were excited about spending time with Megan. 

“Is it five yet?” Molly asked.

“It’s five minutes past the last time you asked, Molly. She’ll get here as soon as she closes up shop. Stop worrying.” Blair smiled over at her to let her know it was all right to be excited. 

“I’m not worried, I’m excited. She called last night and said we’re doing some wall hangings for the new baby room. We’re so excited,” Molly said. 

There was a knock at the door at exactly five o’clock and the girls both jumped up and ran for the door. They knew better then to open it, but they could stand and wait happily. 

Blair opened the door and said, “Someone is very excited about you being here. In fact, two someone’s.”

Megan had two large bags of artsy items and set them on the table. “What’s for dinner, Sandy? I’m starving.”

“I made homemade chicken pot pie. It’s in the oven, keeping warm and you three can eat whenever you’d like. In fact, why don’t you invite Henry over for dinner?”

“Oh, Sandy, that’s such a good idea. He was talking about how much he didn’t have to do tonight, so that would be great. Maybe he could help with painting, girls. What do you think of that?”

Jilly hugged Megan’s protruding belly and said, “I love Henry. Ask him over. It would be fun.”

Jim could see that he and Blair weren’t going to be missed at all. This bothered him a little bit. 

Blair said, “Girls, come and give us hugs and kisses. We’ve got to go and pick up the boys.”

They both took turns hugging each of them and Jim realized they were just happy and this was a good thing. He needed to learn to stop worrying about them so much.

Jim and Blair left at about 5:30 and Jim could hear their giggling on the phone with Henry all the way down the stairs. This made him smile. 

“They’re inviting Henry over and Henry was thrilled, you could tell. He probably felt left out,” Jim observed. 

Blair smiled too and said, “See you over at Joel’s. We need to take both SUV’s.”

“I know that, Blair.”

“Just reminding you. Remember, you’re getting old. You’re the one that keeps telling me that.”

Jim started running after him into the garage, laughing the entire way. Jim never tired of Blair. He was a joy to be around and was glad that he was in their lives. 

They drove over to Joel’s and were surprised to see all of the boys waiting out in front. Someone else must have been excited about the evening, too. This made Jim smile more. It seemed he did a lot of that, lately. 

The boys split up and got into the two SUV’s and said, “Hi guys. We’re so excited,” Daniel said, happily. 

“Oh, we never could have told that,” Blair answered, laughing. They all got into the SUV, seatbelts on and they were off to the pizza joint around the corner. They knew they had to eat sort of fast, because they were going to the 7:00 movie of Iron Man 2. 

They ordered their pizza’s, got a huge table and then sat and talked, laughed and ate until it was about 6:25. Then they decided they needed to get ready to go to the movie. 

In Jim’s car, the boys were talking non-stop about school, the movie and dinner with the guys. Jim felt bad about waiting so long to ask them out. 

“Guys, the reason we haven’t done anything with you lately, is we’ve been trying to figure out our place with the girls in our lives now. It’s a lot different than it was before. But, the girls love to play basketball, so please come over to our parking lot and play anytime you would like. Molly and Jilly would love it.”

“Thanks, Jim,” Daniel said. 

“Yeah, thanks. It’s great that you’re still finding time to fit us into your hectic life,” Tony added. 

“Just remember we’re only a phone call away from you guys. Just call if you feel like seeing us or want to do something. Please know that you’re always welcome at our house.”

Joe smiled and said, “We do know that, Jim. You and Blair are the best uncles we could ever have.”

Jim just about cried when he heard this. They thought of them as their uncles. Jim loved that. 

They parked at the theater and got out and walked up and joined Blair and his gang. “Hurry it up, we need to get popcorn and slurpies,” Blair said, happily. 

They walked in, paid and then got all of the drinks and popcorn. They were all very excited about watching the movie. 

Once they got settled in, the previews started and no one said another word.

*

After the movie, Jim and Blair took the guys home to where they lived this time. They wanted them home to get ready for bed. They had school the next day. 

Pete asked Blair, “Could we do something next week? It doesn’t have to cost money. We’d sort of like to spend some time with Molly and Jilly, too.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea. We’ll call you next week and plan something,” Blair promised. 

Once they dropped everyone off, they walked up the stairs to their apartment and Jim said, “The girls are missing us. They asked how much longer it would take us.”

“Glad to hear it, Jim. Thanks for the nice evening with the boys. I had a good time.” Blair pulled Jim in for a final kiss before they walked into the apartment. 

“I had a good time, too. Now, let’s get in there and see our daughters.” 

And they did just that. 

TBC


	30. Shifting into Being Cousins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe, Tony, Daniel, Chris, Pete and Paul decide to ask if they can be in charge of Molly and Jilly for a short time. Blair surprises them with his answer.

Shifting into Being Cousins  
Part 30 of the Shifting Series  
By PattRose

Summary: Joe, Tony, Daniel, Chris, Pete and Paul decide to ask if they can be in charge of Molly and Jilly for a short time. Blair surprises them with his answer.   
Warnings: none.   
Genre: Slash.   
Rating: Teen  
Word Count:1952

 

It was a Monday afternoon and Molly and Jilly were in their room doing homework after Jim had picked them up. The buzzer buzzed and Blair went and hit the speaker and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s Joe and the gang, we wondered if we could talk to you and Jim for a moment.”

“Come on up,” Blair said as he buzzed them upstairs and waited for the knock at the door. Jim was in their bedroom and Blair knew he must have heard, but he still wasn’t coming out. Blair walked to the doorway and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I was putting the clean sheets away. They’ve been sitting on the dresser for two days. I thought it was time,” Jim teased. 

“The boys are here. Come on out and see them.” Blair went and opened the door as soon as the doorbell rang. 

“Hi guys, come on in. Would you like something to drink?” Blair asked. 

Joe was the first one to talk. “No, we came to ask something but we want Jim to be here, too.”

Jim walked out at that moment and said, “Hi guys. What’s up?”

Tony said, “Before you tell the girls we’re here, could we ask something?”

Jim smiled. “You can ask us anything, anytime.”

Chris said, “We would like to take the girls down to Joel’s ice cream parlor and have ice cream with our cousins. What do you think of that idea?”

Jim was stalling before he was had to tell them no, and Blair said, “That would be nice. They would love some ice cream.”

Jim glared at Blair and said, “Just a moment. Maybe we need to discuss this a little bit longer than two seconds.”  
“Jim, they’re not taking them across town in a car or something, they are walking down to Joel’s store. The girls love Joel, so they would be very happy. And Judy likes to see our daughter’s, too.”

Jim frowned but you could tell he was thinking about it. “I guess Blair is right. I’m a little over protective, as you can tell.”

“We totally understand, Jim. Where are Molly and Jilly, anyhow?” Daniel asked. 

“Before we get into that, you have to promise that you’ll watch them very closely,” Jim said, sternly. 

The boys all swore on their life that they would keep the girls safe. Blair thought they were very cute. 

“I’ll go and get Molly and Jilly.” Blair went into their room and came out with two smiling children following him. 

They attacked each of the boys and gave kisses and hugs. Jim smiled seeing at how much they liked each other. Jim didn’t know why he had ever worried. When everything had calmed down, Jim said, “I want you to be back in at least two hours. Think you can do that?”

“We’ll be back with time to spare,” Joe said, happily. He grabbed Jilly’s hand and started out the door. 

“Wait a minute, didn’t someone forget about the poor dad’s here?” Blair asked, almost laughing. 

Jilly and Molly rushed to Jim and Blair and hugged them quickly. “We’ll be back,” Jilly said. 

“Yes, we will,” Molly agreed. 

“Have a good time, all of you. Here is some money, guys. It’s on us,” Jim handed them two twenties and practically pushed them out the door. 

After they left, Blair said, “I didn’t even think about the cost. Thanks for thinking of it, babe.”

“They probably had allowance money, but I don’t want them to spend all of that. This was easier. The girls are so wild about them, aren’t they?” 

“Jim, Molly and Jilly are crazy about everyone. They are two of the nicest girls, I know.”

Jim pulled Blair onto the sofa with him and they started to make out. They were both getting into it, when Jim pulled back and said, “They could be back at any time. I guess we should act our age.”

“You act your age, I want to be like the teen that I am,” Blair joked. 

“It’s nice having some alone time now and then isn’t it?” Jim asked. 

“We’re very lucky between friends and family we have a lot of people to love us and the girls. Your dad is just wild about them and he loves Carrie, too. I like that he includes her in things, so she never feels left out.”

“Yeah, Dad has turned into a fantastic grandparent and we’re lucky to have him. I know that girls like having him around, too. But so do the boys. They call him Grandpa Will. He told me the other day that he couldn’t ask for a better family.”

“Your dad has a wonderful surprise for Megan for her baby shower next week. He asked if he could come and I told him it wasn’t just for women, we were going to be there, too. He was thrilled. Do you want to know what he got her?”

“Well, I can see that you’re dying to tell me, so spill the beans.”

“He got her a fancy stroller, baby swing, new crib and dressing table and a few other little things that Molly and Jill helped him pick out for that baby. Since she found out it was a little girl, your dad has been very excited. I think he likes to think of all of our friends as his family. We really do have a great life, Jim. Don’t you agree?”

Jim pulled Blair closer and kissed him. “I agree 100 percent. We have kids around us all the time, we have friends around us all the time and we have each other and our daughters. By the way, I wanted to talk to you about something important for Carrie.”

“You want to pay part of her tuition?” Blair wondered. 

“I already paid it. Dad helped me. She has an account set up to pay her tuition every three months. It comes out automatically. She won’t have to worry about a thing except doing well in her classes. So, when she comes over for dinner on Sunday like she usually does, we’ll tell her the big surprise.”

Blair kissed Jim, long and passionately. “You’re one of the best men I know. You’re so good to her and such a good dad, too.”

“And you aren’t? You goofball. You’re the best. You spend a lot more time with the girls than I do. I appreciate you taking all the time out each day that you do. You’re the best dad around, Blair.”

Blair kissed Jim again. “Thank you, Jim. That was super nice of you to say.”

Jim smiled and said, “They coming back. I hear them all laughing and talking. Has it been two hours already?”

“Time flies when you’re making out in the living room with your boyfriend,” Blair teased. 

“Hey, have you noticed that Judy has put on a little weight lately?” Jim asked, changing the subject completely. 

“I was wondering if she might be pregnant. Joel has never had a child, so that would be nice for him and Judy is still young enough to give him a child,” Blair said. “Not to mention, she’s a great mom.”

“That would be great. Joel would be in heaven. And what’s really funny is he’s been losing weight like crazy. I asked him about it the other day and he said, he wanted to stay in better shape for his new family.”

The buzzer sounded and Jim buzzed them up. He smiled at all of the giggling in the hallway before they got to the door. 

Jim opened the door and Molly said, “They took us to see Judy, too. She wasn’t working, so we went to see her. Guess what? She’s having a baby. Daniel is going to have a baby sister or brother.”

Jim and Blair just smiled at each other and Jim asked, “Daniel, how do you feel about that?”

“Honestly, it’s so nice to see my mom happy, that I don’t care if she has a baby or not. I just wanted her to be happy.”

Jilly hugged him hard and said, “You’re such a nice cousin. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Jilly.”

“We think it’s excellent news. I bet Joel is very excited about everything,” Jim guessed. 

“Jim, I got my license last week and wondered if you would take me driving to get some practice in. Then I have to find a job to pay for a car,” Joe confessed. 

“If you don’t mind an old car, I have a Volvo that runs pretty darn well. It’s in storage right now, but I loved it when I had it. You would have enough room to take everyone in your car,” Blair offered. 

“Only if you let me work for you. I’ll do anything after school. Mind you, I have to work for Joel, too. But, I would love to have a car.”

“Joe, I’ll find something for you to do around here. Don’t you worry. I might even have you stay with the girls some nights, so I can help Jim in the bar.”

“That would be great. I love hanging with my cousins. I’ll start as soon as you need me,” Joe volunteered. 

Jim smiled and said, “In that case, I could use some help in the bar tomorrow night, so Blair could work with me and you and the girls could hang out together.”

Pete asked, “Did I tell you that my mom is dating, Rafe?”

Blair bounced with happiness and said, “That’s fantastic. Do you like him Pete and Paul?”

“Yeah, he’s really nice to our mom, too. He’s nice to us, also,” Pete said. 

“Jim, isn’t that great news about Susan and Rafe?” Chris asked. 

“That’s very good news indeed. Any other news going on?” Jim wondered. 

“No and we’d better get going. We still have homework to do. We’ll see you all later. Bye, Molly and Jilly,” Tony called out as he walked to the door. 

Jilly hugged him tight and said, “Thank you for tonight.”

“Yes, we had a very good time, and we love having cousins that hang out with us. Thank you,” Molly said. 

Jim and Blair hugged all of the boys and Jim walked them downstairs. When he got back up the girls were already in the tub getting ready for school the next day. 

“It sounds like they had a good time. I need to remember that they can be left alone with the boys from time to time. They’re good guys and I like sharing our girls with them, Blair.” 

“Speaking of our girls, they’re ready to be tucked into bed, I think.”

Jim and Blair got them all tucked in and went back out into the living room and smiled at each other. 

Jim was the first one to talk. “Who would have thought that a year ago, we would own a bar, have all of our friends live nearby and adopt two little girls?”

“Our life is perfect, Jim. We couldn’t ask for anything better, could we?”

“Nope, we have everything we need and more. I love our life. I love you, Chief.”

“And I love you, Jim. Now, let’s go in and talk about some fun things in the bedroom.”

And they did just that. 

The end

I hope you enjoyed this series. It was fun for me.


End file.
